Many of us use social media and check our feeds on various platforms dozens of times a day. Social media is not only fun, but it is also a useful tool that can help people stay connected and build or strengthen their networks. If you are going through legal proceedings, such as a divorce, however, you might want to consider going on hiatus from Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Your continued online activities might otherwise backfire on you and impact the outcome of your divorce. Considering how much is at stake, it would be unwise to risk it all in the name of maintaining an online presence.
Here are some of the ways in which continuing to use social media can affect your divorce:
- Photos can be used as evidence: The pictures you post speak volumes and can easily be taken out of context and used as evidence against you in court. If you post pictures of yourself at a party, your spouse might argue that you are irresponsible and go out too often, which might impact your ability to obtain the custody results you desire.
- Your posts might uncover your spending habits: If you are trying to fight for lower spousal support payments and you claim that you cannot afford them, you will look dishonest post your extravagant purchases on social media. In fact, your spouse might even suspect that you are hiding assets, which can get you into some pretty hot water in court.
- You cannot always trust your mutual friends: If you and your spouse were together for a while prior to your split, you probably share a lot of mutual friends and not all of your friends will ultimately side with you. It would be near in possible to figure out which friends are still loyal to you and which ones are backing up your soon-to-be ex-spouse, so the only way to be certain that your posts are not being leaked to your spouse is by abstaining from making any social media posts at this time. Otherwise, you are taking a rather big risk.
- Ranting about your spouse will only make you look bad: Social media is the hot spot for venting, but if you do this during your divorce, you can expect it to come back and haunt you in court, especially if you have children. If you badmouth your spouse online, it will make you appear uncooperative and unwilling to co-parent with your spouse, and that can certainly have an effect on your arrangement. If you really need to vent, talk a friend or consider working with a therapist.
If you cannot pry yourself away from social media, you should at least refrain from making any posts about your divorce, your spouse, or your children. If you are unsure about a post, ask your attorney for advice.
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If you are getting a divorce, you should not put off obtaining skilled legal assistance to help you navigate the complexities of it and ensuring your interests are protected. At Hope Law Firm, our divorce team will help you throughout every step of the process with the compassion and personalized attention you deserve during this difficult time.
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