Almost everybody is on some sort of social media these days. Social media is important, because it helps us keep connected with friends and family around the world we may not be able to interact with very much. However, social media has become a rich source of evidence for contentious divorce cases.
Remember: social media is not private. According to Divorcemag, many divorces involve information mined from social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What if my account is set to “private?”
Even if you have your account set to private, the information you put on social media is never private. You have no control over what anybody does with the information they find there. Even if you “unfriend” your ex, anybody who is still your friend on that platform has access to what you post and can save it.
How can this impact divorce?
Many people decide to go out and party when they are going through a divorce. It is natural to want to release stress. However, if somebody posts pictures of you consuming inordinate amounts of intoxicating substances (particularly if they are illegal substances), this can seriously harm child custody cases if the pictures end up in court.
A divorce lawyer could also leverage even seemingly innocuous pictures showcasing wealth (going on cruises, driving a new car) to dispute your reported income levels. Essentially, if you would not want a particular photo or text post to show up in the courtroom, you should not post it. Also, be careful about what others may post as well. If you do not post anything about going on a cruise but the friend you cruise with does, that is just as harmful.