Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites have changed the way we share information about our relationships. Your social media feed can be filled with photos of your relationship milestones. Your first date? There it is. That first time you went to your favorite restaurant? You’ve even got photos of what you ate. Where you got engaged? There’s probably even a video of that. And your wedding? There are likely hundreds (if not thousands) of photos and videos. But what happens when your relationship ends? This week, the Wall Street Journal had an article about going through a divorce on social media.
Divorce and Social Media
According to the Wall Street Journal, marriage and divorce rates are down in the past decades. Part of their theory is that young people are postponing marriage until they are financially stable. The stats seem to back it up,
Today, about 30% of young adults ages 18-34 are married, compared with about 60% in 1978.
And most of that 30 % are probably sharing a lot of their relationship on Facebook (and/or other sites). But what happens when your marriage is over? Facebook has a timeline of memories, in photos, of your time together. For some people, the presence of photos doesn’t bother them. Especially if the end to their marriage was mutual and on good terms. But what about those who are shocked, surprised or devastated by the breakup? Those photos can remind them of many memories they don’t want to dredge up. Katherine Ormerod, a writer in London, told the Wall Street Journal,
To manually delete thousands of photos from Facebook takes hours and is emotionally tough … You’re looking at the highlight reel of your relationship while you’re at your most broken point.
Some folks have even taken to social media to help others get through the tough times. Jack Rollins started a “divorce-support” Instagram account to help others.
However you approach it, you should think about what to do with your social media feeds after a divorce. It should be on the list of things to do (like updating your will, changing your name, changing beneficiary designations on your accounts). Many times these things are on your list, but you don’t want to deal with them. At some point, though, it will help you mentally to get them knocked off your to-do list.
Next Steps
If you don’t have a will yet, or if you have one that you may need to update, call my office to set up a meeting and we can review the best options for you – (877) AMAYERS.
