Social Media and Divorce – A Toxic Combination

Whether you are just beginning to toy with the idea of serving your spouse divorce papers or you are already deep in the throes of the litigation process, you may want to read this article as to the reason you should heed my advice and shut down every single one of your social media accounts immediately!

Yes, you read that correctly. Get online right now and deactivate your personal Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Instagram, or whatever other online platforms you so choose to share the details of your private life on because let me tell you, they will cause nothing but trouble during your litigation proceedings. I bet I know what you are thinking after reading that and I’m sure it goes a little something like this: “That seems like a dramatic and unnecessary display of “unplugging” that doesn’t apply to my own particular situation. I think I will just ignore her and continue to dig my own grave by leaving an electronic paper trail all over the web documenting my every screw-up during my contested case.”

I’m pretty close, right? Don’t be ashamed to admit it. Everyone ignores my advice when it comes to this particular situation. But I am telling you right now, loud and clear, that it is to your benefit to heed my warning about not mixing social media and divorce by deleting your accounts right now. Here is why…

In today’s technology-obsessed society where nobody can put down his or her phone for more than five minutes, there are just too many outlets on which to make a virtual boo-boo that will cost you big time.

Take a look at this list of a few potential scenarios to get an idea of how just the click of a button on social media may result in a huge mess in the courtroom:

•  You are in the midst of a custody battle with your ex and someone tags you in a picture that shows you drinking and partying on a night when you said you could not exercise parenting time with your children.
•  You filed to modify and lower your support payments to your spouse and your lover posts pictures on Instagram and Facebook of the two of you on vacation in Bali.
•  In a fit of rage, you sent a horrific text message or email to your spouse during your divorce and tell your spouse that you will “spend all the money until there is no more money left in the estate.” The email or text is thereafter used in a hearing to demonstrate dissipation.

….So, do you catch my drift? If not, let me explain it in another way for you.

How many celebrities and notable figures of authority that have been caught with their pants around their ankles (virtually, not literally, thank God) via photos that were posted on the internet, salacious e-mails, naughty texts, and sexy voicemails?

How many times is a person in the public eye, be it a Hollywood celebrity or a government official, going to have to get caught with a sexually explicit electronic paper trail before people finally catch on that leaving virtual evidence of the affair is just plain moronic?

Victim mentality and the blame game will only go so far during your divorce (and in life). You are responsible for your own actions and inaction. Simplify your life. Save the heart-racing new online romance for after the divorce has been finalized. Remove the temptation entirely so as not to shoot yourself in the foot. It is way too enticing nowadays to Tweet something, tag something, or text something that could end up getting you annihilated.

Corri Fetman & Associates, Ltd.​ is an experienced and dedicated law firm in Chicago that specializes in family law services. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest quality of personalized legal representation and communication every step of the way. Our law firm has handled hundreds of family law cases, making sure each client gets fair representation both in court and out to ensure they get what they are entitled to.

To book an appointment with our experienced divorce attorneys in Chicago, Corri Fetman & Associates, Ltd.​, use our easy online consultation services: https://cfalawfirm.com/schedule-a-consultation.