Social media plays a huge role in divorce. Attorneys can use social media posts as evidence to argue for things like child support, spousal support and other important aspects of divorce cases. Divorce selfies have become a trendy way to announce over Facebook or Twitter that you and your spouse have split up. And Facebook routinely shows up as a contributing factor in one-third of divorces.
Needless to say, social media is very powerful. But what is it about these sites, and Facebook in particular, that causes such rifts between married partners? One trend ”“ known as Facebragging ”“ might have something to do with it.
What Is Facebragging?
Facebragging is the trend of posting things on Facebook to show off to your friends under the guise of simply sharing news. Facebragging can create unrealistic ideals that social media users may then apply to their own marriages. Here’s are some examples:
- Bob is commenting on his friend Patrick’s Facebook photos when he finds a picture of Patrick and his wife Jane on a cruise in Cabo. Bob is jealous that Patrick’s wife makes excellent money and is able to afford time off for a cruise, while Bob’s wife is a stay-at-home mom.
- Bob’s wife Layla is on Facebook and sees Jane’s heart emoji-laden post about the new house she just bought with Patrick. Layla wonders why she lives in a small two-bedroom duplex with Bob and wishes he would work harder to support the family.
- Patrick sees photos of Layla posing in the new clothes she just bought with her Christmas bonus. Patrick begins to wonder why Jane is not as physically fit as Layla and begins to lose attraction.
The plights of Patrick, Bob, Layla and Jane are becoming more and more common as social media continues to loom large in the lives of married couples, creating a sort of “keeping up with the Joneses” effect that can lead to resentment. When people are overexposed to Facebragging, it’s not shocking to see that it can hurt a marriage to the point of causing divorce.
For more details on how social media interacts with divorce cases, check out this video by Divorce Matters.