SOCIAL NETWORKING DURING DIVORCE CAN BRING HARMFUL CONSEQUENCES

Many people going through a divorce are distraught and often make decisions or take actions that are clouded by their unpredictable emotions. Persons in Michigan who are in a divorce should try and maintain control over their emotions when interacting with friends or social contacts. If a person is networked into the community through modern-day technology, it would also be wise to keep things ‘close to the vest’ when engaging in online activities.

There are certain common sense considerations to which most professionals in the family law area would probably subscribe. Most importantly, one should guide his social networking actions by an overriding concern for privacy, and should make no communications that can even remotely come back to haunt the divorce negotiations. Consequently, it’s best to separate oneself from all contact or access to the other’s email and online communications.

If any online postings or email messages do become relevant to the divorce they can be later obtained by formal court-sanctioned discovery procedures. It does no good for one to be identified in the divorce as the person who boldly, stealthily or deceptively obtained and studied all of the other party’s private online communications. Even if a spouse once had permission to access these items, that permission has implicitly been withdrawn since the start of the divorce.

Keep in mind that when posting on social media such as Facebook the world, and one’s spouse, are looking. An individual should not reveal financial matters or even make indirect references to them when posting. These can come back to deliver a painful bite. It follows that any references to one’s personal life must be severely restricted or, better yet, temporarily eliminated.

When a person is participating in a divorce in Michigan, or anywhere else for that matter, he or she would be well-advised to consider whether any casual, uncontrolled postings or messages could impact the dissolution of marriage proceedings. When tempted, the person may want to consider the popular warning that ‘loose lips sink ships.” If the emotions strike a chord that tells one to sing out about the failings of the marriage or the benefits of separation, perhaps the better approach is to stop, rest and consider the consequences under more controlled thought processes.

Source: Boca News Now, “Three Stupid Mistakes To Avoid In Divorce,” Jodi Furr Colton, Feb. 14, 2013