Most Utah residents would agree that Facebook brings people together in a way that nothing else can. On the other hand, data indicates that it is also separating people as well. The number of divorce filings blamed on Facebook and other popular social media sites is currently one out of seven and could increase.
Some spouses are complaining of their partners rekindling old relationships online. Others are discovering evidence of infidelity through Facebook posts and photographs. In some cases, a person becomes so obsessed with the social media site that they spend more time online than with their families.
This was the case for one man who divorced his wife because she spent at least four to five hours a day on Facebook. She even prided herself on reaching 5,000 friends, which is the maximum the social media site allows. The woman is now divorced and is working on her addiction.
Another woman found a picture of her husband in Las Vegas with another woman. Not only had he been unfaithful, but he had also lied to her about his whereabouts. This woman’s plight is not unusual, but the ease with which she found evidence of his indiscretions is becoming commonplace.
Facebook is not only causing divorces, but it is also providing evidence in them. A growing number of divorce courts here in Utah and around the country are evaluating evidence that parties took from posts and photographs. Even though states no longer require grounds for divorce, there are circumstances under which evidence of wrongdoing could be beneficial, such as in child custody cases.
Source: CBS Chicago, “Social Media Obsession Costing Some People Their Marriage“, Mike Parker, May 5, 2015
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