People in West Virginia and elsewhere use social media to keep up with family and friends and post important updates in their lives. Most of the time, people maintain a good balance of social media use versus their other life activities and responsibilities; however, some people spend far too much time on social media. Doing so can adversely affect one’s marriage as well as one’s divorce.
Divorce and social media
Recent studies have shown that prolific use of social media can have a negative impact on one’s marriage. In fact, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers stated that around 81% of family law attorneys claim they have seen a rise in divorces related to social media. Spouses searching their partners’ accounts have found evidence of infidelity, online affairs and other illicit behavior.
Whether a person’s divorce was precipitated by social media or some other cause, social media can also affect a person’s divorce. Although people take to Facebook and other online accounts to vent their anger and frustration, doing so can hurt the person during the divorce process because the other party can use the negative remarks against his or her spouse. Experts suggest not using social media at all during a divorce or not posting negative comments about one’s spouse if the person chooses to still post to social media.
Other caveats and suggestions for social media use
People going through a divorce should set their privacy settings to the highest level to prevent unwanted public views of their profiles. They should also never discuss their divorce case online, and they should not use social media to try and dig up dirt on their spouses. People should avoid posting intimate photos or videos, and they should focus on posting something positive. Whether a social media junkie or not, anyone in West Virginia contemplating or currently going through a divorce should work closely with an experienced family law attorney from the start who can advise the client of what to do and what not to do throughout the process.
