Public floral & candle Tributes

I see on the news a blanket of flowers and candles for the unfortunate youngster killed in Fife. Such demonstrations are now commonplace. Whilst there is an understandable desire for an expression of solidarity in a community, is it perhaps slightly bizarre when people with no geographic or personal link to an event to feel the need to add their contribution to these tributes. Is it a variant type of Munchausen by Proxy syndrome?