Some things aren’t for the ‘gram: social media and Washington divorce may not mix

TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and whatever other social media site you may use are the public square now. That means what you post there is in front of as many people as you know and a lot of people you don’t. And if you’re going through a divorce, that can be a major risk.

One of the first things a lawyer will say to you about your upcoming divorce is to not talk about it. The main reason for this is that your statements about your divorce will often become part of your divorce. And when you post about it, you put your statements in writing.

Jokes can be taken the wrong way.

A harmless joke about a child support issue can turn ugly quickly, and it is remarkably easy to screenshot something. If you think communication with your ex was difficult in person, you have no idea how poorly a piece of text can be interpreted.

Posting about your divorce struggles to get comfort and support is a natural impulse, but it absolutely has the potential for serious difficulty. The things you say online can and often do become evidence.

The Internet is forever

Perhaps your struggles with your divorce do not come up in trial or as part of the divorce. If that’s true, then you missed the first hurdle. Unfortunately, your social media profile is forever, and your friends, family and new acquaintances have every opportunity to review the hardest part of your life. The best-case scenario for that is someone who researches you and learns some embarrassing facts. The worst case is that reopened divorce wounds years down the line.

Even non-divorce posts can cause you trouble.

Posts about your divorce are one thing that perhaps is an easy issue to avoid. Posts about your personal life in general, however, are another one. If you have pictures of travel or dates or times with your kids, any one of them could be used out of context. Any one of them could become a problem.

It is best, in most cases, to consider total radio silence when it comes to your personal life during divorce.