Social media is all around us and is endemic to every part of modern life. It follows that many Connecticut residents use the likes of Facebook and Twitter to document different aspects of their lives, but experts warn that use of social media during a divorce should be strictly monitored. Much as prospective employers can glean personal information one might not want known from a public profile, so can a soon-to-be-former spouse.
One of the most obvious expressions of how social media can affect a divorce is the division of “friends,” in the Facebook sense of the word. Spouses often share connections, and quite often a divorce can polarize those connections into supporting one or the other spouse. That means even if a spouse is blocked, he or she can still see activity courtesy of shared connections.
Given that texts and emails are admissible in court as evidence of everything from adultery to secret assets, it is important to remember that privacy and discretion are key elements in divorce proceedings. Anything posted online can be searched and found using the right tools. The best policy is never to post anything that should not be common, public knowledge.
Divorce is already a complicated endeavor, and the advent of social media has made it even more so for many of the reasons listed above. Connecticut residents are reminded that privacy is never guaranteed on the Internet, and discretion should always be exercised during divorce proceedings. This can go a long way toward effecting a relatively fast and equitable divorce.
Source: Forbes, How Social Media Can Affect Your Divorce, Jeff Landers, Aug. 20, 2013