The True Crime Community’s (TCC) ability to reach young audiences through apps like Roblox, Discord and TikTok has catastrophic consequences.

In the wake of the tragic suicide of a 13-year-old girl involved with TCC, ISD’s Cody Zoschak spoke to CBS News about this subculture of nihilistic violent extremism.  

The fixation on high-profile murders by online communities is not a new phenomenon. But the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999 caused a shift in this fascination, according to Cody. 

“We’ve seen this behavior with respect to serial killers and to mass shooters going back well before Columbine,” Cody explained. “What Columbine did was it gave it a distinct aesthetic.” 

Cody also highlighted the TCC’s obsession with notoriety, showcasing the “inward-focused need” of nihilistic violent communities. 

Both TCC and 764, another nihilistic violent extremist network, have been on the FBI’s radar in recent months. Like TCC, the 764 network lacks a specific ideology, but its members are known to outwardly promote self-harm and violence more than TCC. Cody highlights, though, that these groups often overlap in online spaces. 

“They’re all aware of each other,” Cody said. “It’s not like these are isolated ecosystems — they interact with each other.” 

The full article is available on CBS News.