IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: Zac Efron and his Byron Bae *cue eye roll*

Flashback to 2006 when every young girl was infatuated with Zac Efron, thank you High School Musical. While he’s aged well and we’re still prone to swooning over his good looks, even sitting through the Baywatch remake to get a glimpse of his chiselled six-pack…I can’t say that I really care too much about his love life.

I know some people probably do, but c’mon…most young people have now grown up to care more about the environment, politics, our own future and lives rather than our celeb crush’s new fling. So why do the media feel the need to STOP THE PRESS and put Zac’s new “Byron Bae” on the cover of newspapers, on every news bulletin and at the top of every news site?

I admit it though…I clicked the article. That’s all they really want right? Our attention. Our interaction. Our engagement. Even if just to say “who cares”. Working in PR I fully understand the value of this. But has anyone ever stopped to think about the girlfriend in this scenario?

With all the discourse around mental health over the past few years, and the pressure put on people via social media and being in the public eye, did anyone think what may happen by publicly posting her Instagram handle? I can’t imagine she was ready to have the world looking at her page and critiquing her every word, post or move.

The media needs to be more careful around what they put out to the public. While the “news” that Zac Efron has a new girlfriend may be interesting to some, I don’t believe we need to be directing strangers to her social media profile.

By Rachel Demarco – PR/Marketing Manager at InsideOur PR and #AsSeenOn