In the wake of Kristy and Desmond Scott’s very public separation, the same words float around social media from a plethora of accounts. Variations of “stay out of their business” get thrown around as soon as a person has an opinion about the split. Commenters have been quick to remind others that we don’t truly know public figures, that their private lives are not ours to dissect, and that emotional investment in influencer relationships is misguided at best and unhealthy at worst.
But this reaction overlooks a more complicated yet honest truth about how digital intimacy works today. The disappointment, confusion, and even grief expressed by fans is not simply the product of entitlement or obsession. It is the predictable outcome of a media ecosystem that actively encourages emotional proximity, trust, and identification. To dismiss those feelings outright is to misunderstand both human psychology and the mechanics of influencer culture itself.
We Do Form Real Emotional Ties
At the center of this conversation is the concept of parasocial relationships. They are one-sided emotional bonds formed when audiences repeatedly engage with public figures who feel familiar, accessible, and emotionally open. While the term is often used to shame others, research has shown that parasocial relationships are a natural response to consistent exposure and perceived intimacy. They are not delusions, nor are they inherently unhealthy. Conversely, they often provide comfort, inspiration, and a sense of belonging, especially in digital communities built around shared values and aspirational narratives.
Kristy and Desmond did not simply share snapshots of a life together. They built a brand around partnership, perceived authenticity, and “couple goals.” Through videos, captions, and carefully curated moments, followers were invited into an ongoing story that positioned love as both attainable and sustainable. For many, especially women navigating their own relationships, that story carried emotional weight.
When that story abruptly ends, the response is not just about gossip or shame. It is about the collapse of something that grew to give the true yearners hope. The emotional reaction many fans are experiencing is less about the couple themselves and more about what their relationship symbolized. In this sense, the hurt is relational.
Getting Blamed for Feeling
Yet when influencer couples split, public discourse often turns accusatory toward the audience. Fans are told they cared too much, projected too much, or crossed invisible boundaries. What this framing ignores is the degree to which influencers themselves actively cultivate closeness. Intimacy is part of the brand package. Algorithms reward vulnerability. Engagement increases when creators share personal milestones. Trust becomes currency. Emotional investment is strategically encouraged.
This marks a drastic shift from earlier forms of celebrity culture. Where audiences once consumed carefully managed images from a distance, today’s influencers collapse that distance entirely. Through daily content, live streams, and unfiltered commentary, followers are positioned as participants in an unfolding narrative. They witness celebrations and conflicts, joy and uncertainty, and are often addressed directly as part of the journey. The line between audience and community becomes blurred, even if it remains structurally one-sided.
As a result, the end of a highly visible relationship can feel like a personal loss, or what one may call a parasocial breakup. The disappointment mirrors elements of real grief, not because the relationship was real in a reciprocal sense, but because the emotional connection was real to the person experiencing it. That distinction matters.
Opening a New Kind of Emotional Literacy
Rather than shaming people for their reactions, moments like this invite a more nuanced conversation about emotional literacy in the digital age. What does it mean to admire public couples while maintaining healthy boundaries? How do we acknowledge genuine feelings without confusing curated intimacy for mutual relationship? What responsibility do influencers carry when they monetize personal narratives that audiences internalize?
The answer is not to eliminate admiration or connection altogether. Idolizing public couples has always been part of popular culture. What has changed is the scale and speed in which those narratives are delivered. Recognizing that reality allows us to move beyond simple judgments and toward a more honest understanding of why these moments resonate so deeply.
If people feel affected by the dissolution of a relationship they were consistently invited to witness, that response is not evidence of moral failure or emotional immaturity. It is evidence of being human in a media environment designed to make stories feel personal.
Perhaps the more productive question is not why people cared, but how we can all learn to navigate care more consciously in a world built on curated closeness.