Social media is becoming ubiquitous. Not only does social media seem to dominate networking opportunities online, reality television shows, late night shows, movie previews, magazine articles, radio programs and numerous other everyday viewing, listening and reading experiences are peppered by references to social media. This is an understandable phenomenon given that social media sites allow people all over the world to connect at the click of a button. However, if you are going through a divorce, it will serve you well to avoid social media altogether.
Why would you temporarily suspend your access to such an ever-present form of communication? Because every word and image you past can ultimately affect the outcome of your divorce, even if you do your best only to post content that seems completely harmless to you.
An increasing number of attorneys scour social media accounts for evidence that can be used in furtherance of their clients’ goals. Even if you put up the maximum number of privacy settings on your social media accounts, they will never truly be private due to numerous run-around tactics that attorneys and your former spouse may use to access your information.
It is actually not a good idea to delete information that may already be on social media sites. Instead, simply deactivate your account and insist that your kids and teens do the same for the duration of your divorce proceedings. It may be difficult to cleanse from this form of networking for a time, but it will likely benefit you and your case to do so.
Source: The Huffington Post, “The Divorce Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making,” Taryn Hillin, March 18, 2014