Social media has gone from being a fringe tool used by young adults to a part of everyday life. It is common for people to actively use more than one type of social media on a weekly basis.
The benefits are obvious. There’s a sense of instant communication and connection with everyone from family living abroad to your circle of college friends. However, social media comes with noteworthy social and personal drawbacks.
On an individual level, excessive use of social media can affect somebody’s mental health and sense of personal satisfaction. For married couples, social media could actually end up playing a role and their upcoming divorce. What are some of the ways that social media impacts modern divorces?
Social media causes some divorces
Some people turn to social media when life becomes difficult and may start to connect with people online. They may eventually change their political views or personality because of their new online companions, which may estrange them from their spouses.
It is also common for people to use social media to find new romantic partners or rekindle old relationships, which is another reason why social media can cause the end of your marriage.
Social media can help you prove certain matters to the courts
Your ex posting pictures of their dates with their new partner can help you show that there were issues with infidelity in your marriage. Their poor taste in choosing to post memes joking about domestic violence or their private messages threatening you could play a role in building your legal case.
Especially if your ex tends to live online and overshare, their social media presence could be a valuable tool in your upcoming divorce.
Your social media use could hurt your case
While it’s natural to want to talk about your feelings and your changing situation with your circle or to connect with support online, you have no way of knowing what might make its way back to your ex and their attorney. Although it can be difficult, you may want to completely stop using social media until after your divorce. Simply changing your privacy settings won’t be sufficient to fully protect you, as anything you share online is something another person could save and share with your ex.
An attorney can help you evaluate social media evidence and also decide the best way to handle your current social media presence when considering a divorce. Proactively preparing before you go to court can help increase your chances of a favorable outcome in your divorce proceedings.
