Social media provides society with both benefits and downsides. There is something to be said about social media’s role in the number of divorces that occur every year in the United States. There may be some sort of correlation between social media usage and the divorce rate.
While this remains to be proven, the way you use social media can certainly affect your life during a divorce. More and more divorce court proceedings use social media as a source of evidence when deciding how to rule. Social media provides a real look at how people operate in their lives, making it a decent tool in divorce proceedings.
There are a few types of posts you will want to be careful about when going through a divorce.
Financials
Though it may not occur to you immediately, your social media postings can be a reflection of your financial situation. For example, if you posted a photo of a boat you recently purchased but did not disclose this to your spouse as you work out your divorce settlement, this will reflect poorly on you.
You will want to be careful about the information you display on your profiles during your divorce. While you should not purposefully hide anything, it may help you to take care with what you post.
Fitness of parents
Another type of post that could influence your divorce for better or worse, is in reference to your physical and mental health. If you frequently post about how angry you are at your ex, this may not be the best testament to your mental state, especially if you are going through a custody battle. Or, if you frequently post photos of you drinking or partying with your friends on weekdays, this could also be used against you in a court proceeding.
Alternatively, your lawyer could use posts that attribute good health to your benefit. If you regularly attend yoga classes with your neighbors, this could be used as evidence to your good physical fitness, which courts may also consider when deciding custody.
If you are going through, or about to go through a divorce, you may want to exercise a certain amount of caution when posting on social media. You may also want to think about updating your privacy, including who can view your social media profiles as well as your usernames and passwords. While you may not have anything to hide, you do not want your online activity to negatively influence a court case, for any reason. Taking a break from social media altogether, may be the best idea for you while your divorce is finalized.
