How Facebook and divorce interact in the modern age

A very interesting story involving Facebook and divorce is making the rounds. In 1980, a man and a woman felt an instant connection when they met. He was in the military; and she met him for a date. Their love soon blossomed and for nine months they were a couple. However, the man soon learned that he was being deployed overseas. As a result, they split up. Many years passed without them even talking.

But in 2009 — after both of them had gotten married to other people and divorced — the woman took a leap of faith and contacted someone on Facebook that matched the man’s name. She didn’t know if it was really him because the profile with the matching name didn’t have any photos. It was indeed him, and after some messages and calls, they finally met each other. After about 30 years, their romance rekindled and they are now married.

This is a great story, and it highlights something we don’t always get to talk about with divorce stories: a happy ending.

While we hate to ruin the mood, the fact of the matter is that despite the feel-good nature of this story, it highlights and important aspect of divorce nowadays. Facebook and social media are crucial aspects to many divorces in today’s age.

Facebook is literally a record of what a person does — so Facebook has photos and messages and interactions on it that a spouse could reference in a divorce filing. Maybe the photos establish some sort of affairs, something that photos on the site could do as well; or maybe there are messages that show some sort of nefarious activity. Facebook can be a vital tool in any divorce case.

Source: Huffington Post, “Old Flames Reunite After Three Decades Apart, Thanks To Facebook,” Feb. 14, 2014