We live in a world where our online interactions are as frequent and as meaningful as those we conduct face to face. Many of these interactions take place on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which allow us to share our thoughts and images of our lives with hundreds, even thousands of followers.
If your divorce is pending, you should take special care when using social media. Even a seemingly innocent comment can be taken out of context and used to make you appear to be a bad parent or a financially irresponsible individual. Below are four strategies to use to keep your social media behavior in check while you are working through the divorce process.
If you Would Not Say it in Court, Do Not Post it on Social Media
This is because once you make a comment on social media, you can never completely take it back. Even if you delete a comment, you cannot know that nobody took a screenshot before you removed it. Instead of putting yourself in this position, censor yourself on social media. Do not post anything that could be construed as a negative statement about your former partner or the divorce.
The Unfriend, Unfollow, and Block Buttons are your Friends
Know who has access to the information you post on social media. Although you can never be sure that your information is not being shared beyond your inner circle, you can limit who has firsthand access to your posts by limiting your contact lists. If you are facing harassment on social media, do not hesitate to block the harasser and if the harassment is coming from your spouse or a close relative or friend to him or her, mention this to your lawyer.
Keep the Details of your Divorce Off your Social Media Channels
Do not only censor your feelings about your former partner and the divorce. Censor any discussion about the details of the divorce, such as the amount of spousal maintenance you are seeking, how your assets were divided, and your timesharing schedule.
Do Not Make your New Relationship “Facebook Official” Until your Divorce is Finalized
Ideally, you should refrain from dating until your divorce is finalized. But if you do begin a new relationship before your divorce is final, keep it off social media. Your former partner can use photos and posts you make to support claims that you are spending marital money on your new partner or that you are a careless parent because you would rather focus on your love life than your children. Moving in with a new partner can also compromise your ability to receive spousal maintenance, and photos from social media can be used to show or allege a cohabitating relationship.
Work with an Experienced Winter Park Divorce Lawyer
If your marriage has reached the point where you cannot save it, work with an experienced Winter Park divorce lawyer to end it. Contact The Law Offices of Aubrey Harry Ducker, Jr., PLLC today to schedule your initial consultation with Mr. Ducker.
Resources:
floridabar.org/divcom/jn/jnjournal01.nsf/Author/9AE8F4F1F573FFD2852571230058168C
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.13.html