When looking into the online discourse surrounding the Janine Vaughan disappearance on sites such as Reddit and Websleuths, I noticed different approaches to people’s interest in true crime.
Reddit held more of an international audience, so when users in places such as the US have a strong interest in the case it is interesting to hear their motivations. The topic of “Australian true-crime podcasts” is a separate category from regular “true-crime podcasts”. International audiences seeking podcast recommendations on the topic often comment on their interest in Australian culture, or their intrigue surrounding the weird cases that occur in Australia. While this approach created a separation between the listener and the “foreign” world inside Australia, another section of the audience draws connections between “Australian true-crime” and occurrences in their own country.
A subreddit created to discuss the disappearance of Janine Vaughan had many international comments. Reddit users would comment on cases in their local town that also involved the cover-up of a missing person with an obvious guilty person or issues within their town’s law enforcement.
I always had the assumption that listeners of “Australian true-crime podcasts” were Australians themselves. But after viewing online discussion around the topic, I’ve realised this is not the case. Whether it’s from the fact that the case feels as though it is occurring in a world different from their own, or an opposite effect that connects the worldwide issues that occur in unsolved cases from their own country to Australia.
Australian audiences have a somewhat different approach to online discussions surrounding the Night Driver. Many members on the Websleuth forum are able to use their close proximity to the case to make suggestions on the location where things occurred, like different streets and properties that are points of interest. While someone that is a part of the international audience may be able to use google maps to contribute to the discussion, it is the local suggestions from listeners that are familiar with the town that offer the most substance.
A common practise that dedicated listeners go through is pausing, playing and re-listening to episodes whilst taking notes, in order to keep track of evidence to reach their own conclusion. But some that are a part of the local audience take this a step further. Particular Websleuth members will drive around streets mentioned in the podcast, watch CCTV footage to try and recognise people or uniforms and access local newspapers for more information on the case.
While I experience a connection when specific towns are mentioned that I am familiar with, I never consider using the podcast in order to take action into my own hands. I think these approaches separate the audience members who simply consume the podcast as a form of entertainment and information, like myself. Compared to those who “take-on” cases and use podcasts as the first step into their personal investigation. The emotional effects of this approach goes beyond listening time, instead the harsh reality of unsolved cases weigh heavy on listeners as they develop an attachment to the case, especially because some Websleuth members have been apart of the Janine Vaughan forum since 2014. So although Janine disappeared 19 years ago, listeners today are still commenting on their sadness, confusion and anger towards the case and its outcomes.
Bees and Bells 