People in Maryland may have seen a recent article about the effects of social media use on married couples and the findings aren’t good, especially for those who use Facebook frequently. A recent study showed that married people, particularly recently married people, who check on their Facebook an average of once per hour or more are more likely to have their marriages end in divorce.
Facebook has become an indispensable mode of communication for some people, and avoiding Facebook is by no means the elixir for a happy marriage. However, incessant use of social media has the tendency to make a partner suspicious, which can lead to relationship stresses and potentially nasty disputes. Facebook may be a tool used by some to orchestrate an affair, and it may be a way to get news or keep up with old friends for others. But ultimately, the research shows that the initial suspicion alone can lead to negative relationship outcomes.
Before people decide who should get the computer in property division, though, perhaps they should take a deep breath, calm their emotions and think it over. There are legitimate reasons for using social media, but constant use could also be indicative of other issues in the relationship.
In any event, people who are contemplating the end of a marriage should have a better reason than unsubstantiated suspicion. There are many ways to act on suspicions about social media use, but the truth isn’t always pretty and people should be mentally and emotionally prepared for what they might find out about a spouse’s activity on the internet or social media. Divorce is not an easy thing to go through, but with the right legal counsel, it can get a person out of an unhappy marriage and into a better life.
Source: Huffington Post, “Facebook, Divorce Linked In New Study,” June 6, 2013