Most of us these days use social media as an outlet to express themselves. Facebook, twitter and other social media platforms can be a great way to express our feelings to many people we know. However, this approach can be extremely dangerous during a divorce.
What You Make Public Is Public
Few people consider the long-term impact or potential harm that can be brought by posts. Especially during a divorce when emotions are running high, you might be tempted to post negative comments about your spouse or pictures of you having a good time and forgetting about your spouse. But remember: what you make public on social media is public, and it can be used in most cases as evidence in a divorce trial.
What Impact Does Social Media Have On Your Divorce?
Your posts on social media can negatively impact your standing in your divorce in several important ways:
- Alienation: If your spouse’s attorney can use instances of negative posts about your spouse, it could bolster accusations against you of alienation. This could reduce your parenting time with your child.
- Dissipation: Posting pictures while taking a lavish vacation or making large splurge purchases could result in an accusation of asset dissipation (purposely wasting marital property). This could reduce your share in the division of assets.
- Unfitness for parenting: Similar pictures videos involving you behaving irresponsibly, using drugs or alcohol or behaving irresponsibly could result in a determination that you are unfit as a parent, jeopardizing your rights as a parent.
As you can see, there are serious consequences of using social media irresponsibly during a divorce. If possible, we often tell our Georgia clients to avoid using social media altogether during the process if at all possible. The most important thing you can do is talk with an experienced divorce lawyer who can guide you through and help you avoid costly errors in the entire process.
