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Does Facebook Not only Share Relationship Status, But Destroy It?

On Behalf of | Jul 30, 2010 | Divorce

It’s one of the first pieces of information that the estimated 400 million Facebook users enter into their Facebook profiles: relationship status. But maybe it is important for more users to pay better attention to their “married” or “in a relationship” statuses when they log in to the social-networking site.

If Ken Savage’s story is any sign of a relationship trend, then too many Facebookers are forgetting (or ignoring) that they are in relationships and using the site to find romance outside of their marriage. Savage is currently separated from his wife after having discovered that she reconnected and began an affair with an old boyfriend on Facebook.

This trend has been verified by divorce attorneys throughout the U.S. who report that they have seen a tremendous increase in the use of evidence from social-networking sites in divorce and other family law disputes, including child custody

While the numerous social-networking sites all provide evidence in divorce court, attorneys name Facebook as the most common site presented in court.

But does that mean that Facebook is causing people to cheat? A Facebook representative argues against that accusation and stands behind the site’s positive contribution to its users who want to stay and get in touch with their friends and family.

Savage actually agrees with the Facebook rep and does not hold the site responsible for his wife’s infidelity. He claims that the site merely made it “easier” for his wife to cheat and that she is ultimately responsible for her actions.

One warning Savage lends couples who are worried about protecting their relationships from the temptations presented by social networking: talk to your spouse about what they are reading or writing on Facebook. He looks back on how his wife’s Facebook behavior went from sharing with him about friends and family in the beginning, to suspicious, “quiet” Facebook use toward the end.

Resource

CNN.com: Facebook a ‘tool’ for cheating spouses, some say

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