For many people, social media has become an element of daily life. They check in on their preferred platform several times a day and may spend downtime at work scrolling through content. People have also become comfortable with the idea of sharing personal information with dozens or even hundreds of other people via social media.
Those going through a drastic change in circumstances, like a divorce, might use social media as a place to vent about their feelings or obtain support from their social connections. What they may fail to consider is that what they share online could potentially impact the outcome of their divorce proceedings.
Social media activity can become evidence
What someone says on social media can easily complicate their upcoming divorce. It is quite common for spouses or their lawyers to scour social media content looking for proof of bad behavior or information that reinforces claims they intend to make in court.
In some cases, one person venting about their frustrations could lead to claims of defamation by the other spouse during the divorce proceedings. Choosing to share sensitive or inflammatory information online, such as allegations of an extramarital affair, can be cathartic at the moment. However, the information shared could harm the person posting if their spouse discovers what they said online.
Even when people make a point of blocking their spouse, removing mutual friends or establishing other privacy standards, anything someone shares online could potentially become evidence against them in divorce court. Spouses could put themselves at risk of custody complications and other challenges by engaging in behavior that may look like cyberstalking to the courts.
Even sharing information about good fortune during the divorce could complicate divorce proceedings. People bragging about a new job opportunity or love interest could give their spouse leverage to use during their upcoming divorce. The inverse can also be true, people can sometimes look through their spouses’ social media profiles and find information that could help them as they prepare for child custody or property division proceedings in family court.
Spouses who are aware of how social media can impact divorce proceedings can make better choices about their digital conduct. Seemingly minor mistakes can result in dire repercussions for those headed for a divorce.