Netflix's Framing of American Serial Killers: A Content Analysis

Type of Presentation

Textual Analysis

Description

.

Abstract

This study asks if Netflix’s recent docuseries sensationalize American serial killers through the framing of their lives. Netflix has begun pushing out several movies and television shows centered around true crime cases. Their more popular productions focus on some of America’s most notorious serial killers. In this content analysis, four of Netflix’s original documentary series that cover popular American serial killers are reviewed. The shows in this analysis include Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Night Stalker: A Hunt for a Serial Killer, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, and Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes. The aim of this research is to code and document statements of opinion made about the killer. Episode number, timestamp of when the comment was made, what type of comment (either positive or negative), who made it, the gender of the person, and at what point in the killer’s life the comment referred to were all coded individually. In total, there are seventy-nine coded entries. After conducting a statistical analysis of the results, the findings prove that there is no correlation between Netflix’s framing of American serial killers in their recent docuseries and the positive public discourse surrounding them. While this may be the case, there is still a great deal of understanding that comes from the data presented in this study.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Holly Cowart

Department of Primary Presenter's Major

Department of Communication Arts

Location

Room 2030

Symposium Year

2023

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Netflix's Framing of American Serial Killers: A Content Analysis

Room 2030

This study asks if Netflix’s recent docuseries sensationalize American serial killers through the framing of their lives. Netflix has begun pushing out several movies and television shows centered around true crime cases. Their more popular productions focus on some of America’s most notorious serial killers. In this content analysis, four of Netflix’s original documentary series that cover popular American serial killers are reviewed. The shows in this analysis include Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Night Stalker: A Hunt for a Serial Killer, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, and Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes. The aim of this research is to code and document statements of opinion made about the killer. Episode number, timestamp of when the comment was made, what type of comment (either positive or negative), who made it, the gender of the person, and at what point in the killer’s life the comment referred to were all coded individually. In total, there are seventy-nine coded entries. After conducting a statistical analysis of the results, the findings prove that there is no correlation between Netflix’s framing of American serial killers in their recent docuseries and the positive public discourse surrounding them. While this may be the case, there is still a great deal of understanding that comes from the data presented in this study.