Trauma-informed advocacy is a vital aspect of discussing crime victims and their experiences, especially in the online world of true crime. As creators and advocates highlight these sensitive issues, it's crucial that the narratives shared are respectful and compassionate. This post explores generally some key elements of trauma-informed advocacy and provides insight into what to look for when seeking trauma-informed social media creators who share true crime stories online.
Understanding Trauma-Informed Advocacy
Trauma-informed advocacy is generally about recognizing how common trauma is and how it affects people. This approach prioritizes safety, trust, and empowerment. It ensures that victims can share their stories without fear of judgment or further harm. Creators who embrace this perspective understand that each victim's experience is unique and deserves to be treated with diligence, care and respect.
By taking this approach, creators can help build a more supportive community around crime narratives. Creators can promote discussions that not only discuss crime, but also honor the experiences of survivors and the challenges of healing.
Characteristics of Trauma-Informed Creators
When evaluating social media creators who focus on true crime, look for several important traits that demonstrate trauma-informed advocacy in their coverage:
1. Empathy and Sensitivity
Seek out creators who show empathy in their work. FACES refers to this as "engage with empathy" which is the creation of Julie Murray, advocate and sister of still-missing Maura Murray.* In accordance with the tenets of the #engagewithempathy campaign, the discussion of crimes must be done with empathy and care. The choice of words should reflect an understanding of the emotional struggles that survivors face. For instance, a creator might share a crime victim survivor's story that is well-researched and frame it in a way that centers the survivor and highlights their bravery rather than sensationalizing the crime.
2. Focus on Survivor Voices
A trauma-informed creator prioritizes the voices of survivors over sensationalism. These creators amplify the experiences of those directly involved, allowing survivors to tell their stories as they wish. For example, a creator might post testimonials from survivors or feature interviews where survivors take the lead in narrating their experiences. This respect for victim and survivor autonomy is essential for supportive discourse, as well allowing the survivor to tell their own story, in their own words.
3. Education on Trauma
A trauma-informed true crime creator will offer educational content about trauma, highlighting its effects and the importance of support for victims and survivors. These true crime creators may share general resources like articles or podcasts that explain trauma-related topics for their audience to learn more. Alternatively, creators may provide resources for victims of the particular or similar crime, or have a trained advocate, attorney or member of law enforcement assist by providing guidance, information, or even appearing in the content to discuss the matter in a victim-centric way.
4. Community Engagement
Trauma-informed creators interact with their audience in a way that fosters an environment where victim or survivor guests AND followers feel safe sharing their thoughts. An effective trauma-informed creator may hold Q&A sessions with permission of the victim or survivor guest, allowing survivors or community members to ask respectful questions while eliminating antagonistic, rude or victim-blaming discourse in their audience. This kind of engagement is crucial for empowerment and healing, as well as allowing all participants to trust that the creator strives to provide a supportive online environment.
5. Responsible Storytelling
It's essential for creators to practice responsible storytelling by avoiding unnecessary graphic details that may trigger negative responses. Creators can easily avoid the use of unnecessary words and phrases in titles designed to capture attention based upon sensationalism (for example, "shocking!" or "bloody!") or the use of salacious graphic designs (for example, adding graphics that artificially depict blood spatter on or around victims). Additionally, instead of devoting energy to irrelevant salacious details of a crime when telling the story, a creator might focus on carefully researching, curating and discussing only the relevant aspects of what occurred during the crime, the aftermath and recovery, ensuring the content is sensitive and respectful. Also, creators should always vet the information and perform due diligence of the information included in their content; a lack of corroboration should be enough for a creator to elect not to include the information in their content.
Moving Forward in True Crime Content in Social Media By Creators Seeking to Advocate
Navigating the true crime online landscape requires being thoughtful about the creators one chooses to support and follow. Understanding the fundamental principles of trauma-informed advocacy will help you identify authentic trauma-informed creators and content, appreciate survivor stories and foster a culture of kindness and support within the digital true crime world.
When evaluating social media creators, look for those who show empathy, honor survivor narratives, and actively engage with their communities. By doing so, you contribute to a deeper understanding and support for victims, promoting healing in the face of adversity.
Engaging with content that respects and values the experiences of crime victims can significantly influence the dialogue in true crime. Together, we can advocate for trauma-informed practices in storytelling and uplift survivors on their journey toward recovery.
*FACES highly recommends visiting the official family-created website about Maura Murray, and the #engagewithempathy campaign created by Julie Murray. The website can be viewed at https://www.mauramurraymissing.org and has the most accurate information.
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