Communication Assistant Professor Denisse Vásquez-Guevara weighs in on the phenomenon of social media sleuths and the harms their content cause by sensationalizing tragedies like the suspicious death of teenager Celeste Rivas, who was found in the trunk of a Tesla owned by singer-songwriter D4vd — all in the pursuit of clicks and boosting their follower numbers. “Right now, anybody with a camera can self-create content without knowing the ethics of [news] reporting,” she says, adding that AI will also profoundly impact online sleuthing.

This story was originally broadcasted by KTLA 5 on November 11, 2025.