From what I have observed, a lot of these true crime fans have kind of been in the closet, not having much of an outlet or a space to discuss and process these details they have downloaded over the decades. Those people found their people in podcasts and online and is why it appears to be expanding, they have more visibility right now.
Alternatively, there are scientific and academic industries that research wars, famine, plague, weapons, and true crime but are those professionals thrown shade? (The number of people I have watched, as a child, die on the history channel must be staggering). We have days where we celebrate the dead. We have even created globally respected institutions with the sole purpose of assuring life after death, some followers even wear golden crucifixes. 
I get why a victim, or anyone, would second guess true crime fandom, but it’s only a small slice of our macabre obsessions.
