Social media has changed the cultural landscape wildly. This impact also makes its way into divorce cases. Forbes magazine lays out some of the ways social media can impact a marriage and even be the instigating factor in an impending divorce.
A divorce can take months to complete, and during that time, it may work in your best interest to stay off social media. You may have become accustomed to posting everything on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but during a divorce, the less information you put into the public sphere, the better off you will be.
1. Social media posts can serve as evidence
Everything you post on social media is free range in a court of law. This can impact various aspects of the divorce. For example, your spouse may use photos of you partying as evidence you should have less time with child custody. Additionally, if you want to get a certain amount of money in alimony, then posting pictures of you making extravagant purchases could go against you.
2. Your children could see posts about an ex
If you will split custody of your children with your ex-spouse, then you want them to maintain a certain level of respect for each parent. You do not want to go on Facebook or Twitter and speak negatively about your ex. Children are technologically-savvy these days, and if your child has a social media account, then you should keep your opinions of your ex to yourself.
3. You make loved ones pick a side
You and your former spouse may have mutual friends or family members who are close to both of you. A divorce is tough on all these people, but you do not want to make matters worse by airing dirty laundry on social media. You and your spouse need to get along to an extent to make the divorce proceedings move quickly and efficiently. Posting negative things will only make this process drag on.