Social networking has changed the name of the game when it comes to getting a divorce. For many people, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have been a great way to keep in contact with old work colleagues, friends from school, and just about every other person you have encountered until that time. For some, though, this virtual experience has brought with it real-world turmoil–some of which results in people filing for divorce.
Of course, like any tool, the impact of social media is entirely in how you use it. Some people have said that Facebook has been the cause of many ended marriages, but the reality is that this is solely dependent upon the person’s motives and actions. After all, we do not blame a pencil when we spell a word wrong, and seldom is it mentioned how many marriages arose from the use of Facebook and other social media tools as well. And as one of the premier websites for online divorce we do have a dog in the fight, but at the same time there are some issues that are abject truisms no matter what the medium.
Depending on your personal beliefs and levels of privacy, some couples share passwords and profile information to ensure that both people stay honest with one another. For others, there is a strict reliance on the honor system. Some people even decide not to register on Facebook altogether just to avoid the inevitable issues that may arise, although we couldn’t imagine what life may be like without Bejeweled or Farmville. We could extrapolate even further how many marriages dissolved over these apps and games specifically, though those results will most likely never be known.
Parenting has not just been up-ended by social media, though, and not all of it has been to the detriment of relationships. In some cases, having the barrier between both people can help them interact more civilly than would otherwise be possible, and any time the amount of friction can be reduced in a divorce, the better. Here is some heady divorce advice for parents; if the child custody agreements necessitate that the parents interact frequently, the use of text and/or email can save you and your child from additional parental spats.
Yet, in some cases, the opposite also can be true as well. For instance, one spouse may say that they never received a specific email that was sent regarding a pickup time, and use that misinformation to influence the children. In fact, in about one-third of cases in 2011, Facebook was named in divorce filings, a trend which will be probably increase in upcoming years. Given the numbers , the time frame, and the inevitable follow through which marks the progress of all relationships, blaming Facebook is akin to shooting the messenger.
We are sure this same phenomena happed when the telephone became an everyday staples in our lives. The ability to talk to one another instantly without being face to face most likely opened up and revealed must more about interpersonal relationships than any previous time. It is not the technology per se, as much as it is humankind adapting and relating to the technology. Today it may be the internet and Facebook, who knows what technical advances lay in our future and more importantly- how it will affect our personal relationships thereof and what role it may play in divorce.