Do divorce and social media mix?

On Behalf of | Apr 25, 2014 | Firm News

When the social media craze first began, it may have seemed to be a way for teens and college kids to connect with each other. One of the larger outlets, Facebook, began on a campus. The early participants matured, and many may have kept connecting online. Other people joined in, and in many ways, the craze has allowed people of all ages to reconnect with friends.

After a hard day’s work, some people in Dallas may turn to Facebook, or similar outlets, to get a boost from reconnecting with friends. Often the images posted online are of uplifting events. A night out with friends is a common image that people like to share. Maybe a flashback photo or a throwback to former salad days can bring back memories.

While some political discussions or other forms of communication can filter through the pages, posting online is often tied to happy times. A writer recently put her thoughts about social media into words in an article in the Huffington Post. She says that after her divorce she started to feel isolated when trying to connect online through a brief post. She wondered if there was full communication occurring in a quick post where people often go to show how happy their life is.

She found that picking up the phone and actually talking to good friends provided her with some feeling of connection and support. She found that truly communicating during hard times may be more fulfilling than browsing through isolated moments posted online that may not show the full story of a friend’s life.

It is no secret that going through divorce can be a difficult and emotional time. A couple of years ago we discussed how Facebook posts and online information have been making it into courtrooms in family law cases. The idea is that these “happy times” and similar entries may sometimes be used against the poster in child custody, property division and other kinds of disputes in the family law setting.

Aside from the legal issues, as the recent HuffPro article underscores, sometimes posting online or reading updates from friends may not always provide the full story. Some commentators say that stepping away from the Wi-Fi during divorce can be beneficial for more reasons than one.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Why I Quit Facebook After My Split — And I’d Urge You To Do The Same,” Deja Vow, April 11, 2014

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