#Cybersleuths: The Idaho Murders Review: A Look Into The World Of True Crime “Influencers”

Cybersleuths have been around since the inception of the internet. Everyone loves a good conspiracy. While true crime is a popular subject across all social media platforms, some creators take the genre too far. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching YouTube channels like Nexpo, Nick Crowley, and Explore With Us. There’s a reason why shows like Unsolved Mysteries have been around since 1987. People are naturally drawn to the world of crime and finding out the gruesome details of various cases.

#CyberSleuths: The Idaho Murders is a true crime documentary of a different kind. Rather than primarily focusing on the horrific murders of four young adults in Idaho, which Bryan Kohberger is currently being tried for; the three-part documentary on Paramount+ focuses on the TikTok/YouTube true crime influencers who interjected themselves in this nationwide case.

Actions Have Consequences

As previously mentioned, this isn’t the first case where people on the internet have speculated to the point of becoming detrimental to the case. The case of Elisa Lam, a young woman who was unfortunately found dead in a water tower at the Cecil Hotel in 2013; has been the subject of many, many conspiracy videos. In Netflix’s 2021 documentary Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, we learn that internet sleuths at the time accused a rising musician of the killing, despite there being absolutely no evidence that he was even in the United States at the time of Elisa’s death. In fact, there was evidence of him not being in America at the time. Regardless, speculation and rumors virtually ruined this man’s life and caused his music career to essentially come to a stop.

The Paparazzi of Social Media

This Paramount+ documentary does not shed these internet sleuths in a positive life. In fact, it feels like they almost went out of their way to get the most insufferable content creators they could. People who clearly do not really care about the cases they’re covering – they just simply see these subjects as the latest trending story to make content about. They talk about murders as if they were spilling tea about online drama.

There are documentaries where the internet sleuths were heavily involved and even aided in the capture of criminals. Netflix’s documentary Don’t F*ck With Cats was all about people on the internet noticing the bad behavior of a person, who did end up being a murderer. While these people were frustrated with the police, they still took whatever evidence they collected and gave it to the people who would actually be responsible for apprehending the suspect. This is unlike the TikTokers of #CyberSleuths who hold their content close to the chest and seemingly feel they can do a better job than law enforcement. This is why I was shocked to hear some of the influencers in this documentary claim they were the “first” people to have their “boots on the ground” when it came to the Idaho Murders.

Is It All for the Views?

The documentary doesn’t flat out ask this question, but it’s implied: do these content creators really care about these cases and the victims or are they all doing this for attention aka clout? Not to name names (though you can just watch the documentary and see who we’re talking about), but one TikToker in particular stood out to me. Saying things such as “the f*cking police did it. So why can’t I?” clearly shows the level of importance she puts herself. And when Bryan Kohberger was caught, the sleuths were clearly upset. Instead of being happy that a suspect was arrested, they bemoan the idea that it was not someone on their radar. The feeling of validation from “solving the case” was ripped away from them.

A Scathing Review

#CyberSleuths luckily do have other people they interviewed who echoed the feelings that I and many were feeling during this documentary. They talk about the misinformation being spread and the harm that it does to cases. If any of these TikTokers were hoping that this documentary would boost up their careers and validate their professions, they’ll be sorely mistaken. The documentary is done in a way that it almost feels like a hit piece against them – only, it’s not like they had to try very hard. Each more arrogant and self-serving than the next, their claims that they’re helping is thrown back at them in #CyberSleuths: The Idaho Murders.