Why it happens
Despite this trope being far, far Older than You Think than most fans seem to think it is, this trope has grown more prevalent in the past few decades, mirroring the rise of modern Teen Idol or Pop Idol personalities. What is also evidently clear within the modern fanbase is a sense of entitlement as well as a misplaced sense of "protection" for what fans consider to be their property. Modern fans appear to believe that since they contributed to an idols coffers, they in turn "own" an idol, and thus become frustrated when some perceived "other" "steals" their "rightful property". This is in turn bolstered by the rise of social media, making fans feel ever more involved in "their" idol's lives, which increases the feeling of betrayal when the one-way relationship is predictably shattered by the idol who more often than not doesn't even know the fan exists and is vicariously living out her dreams in an imaginary relationship with the idol, making this one of the more tragic effects of modern culture. Also notable is that common folk pairings are almost universally more reviled than celebrity pairings, almost as if fans were miffed that it could have been them...
