In North Carolina, married couples decide to divorce for a variety of reasons, with the most common being financial problems and adultery. However, in recent years, more couples are listing social media as the reason for their divorce. Seemingly innocent discussions on social media can lead to emotional detachment from the marriage or adultery.

Emotional Detachment, Social Media, and Divorce in North Carolina

All marriages go through happy times and not-so-happy times. Social media gives people the opportunity to share the happiest moments of their lives with their friends and followers.

If you are in a not-so-happy time in your marriage, you may see other's happy moments and start to question your own life choices, including your choice of spouse. You may begin to feel like your own life is not as good as the lives of your friends. Even if both spouses are faithful and financially stable, this consistent unhappiness can lead to one spouse filing for divorce because he or she feels like he or she needs to make an "improvement" in the life or that the "grass is greener" with another partner or without a partner at all.

In some cases, excessive use of social media leads to social isolation and mental detachment from the marriage.

Ease of Adultery, Social Media, and Divorce in North Carolina

While married couples have always faced the temptation of adultery, especially during the not-so-happy times of marriage, the instant access to other people that social media provides has increased opportunities to act on those temptations. Technology makes interacting with people who may be "toxic" to your marriage very easy. Online conversations may begin with trivial subjects but escalate to opportunities for a spouse to commit adultery, especially if the spouse involved emotionally detaches from the marriage.

Social media direct messages give people a false sense of security when a married person communicates with another person, especially when that other person may be attracted emotionally or physically to the married person. The married person may feel safe to reveal personal or vulnerable information that he or she would only speak out loud to a spouse. People tend to believe -- or want to believe -- that their messages are only digital and do not have any real-world consequences.

These seemingly innocent conversations may develop into sexual dialogue. This most commonly occurs with former partners who have friended or followed you or someone who is sexually interested in you. Over time, this behavior leads to emotional detachment, which is devastating to marriages.

Even with privacy settings in place, social media postings can become evidence in your divorce trial. If postings have been deleted, new technology may be able to retrieve them or someone you know may have saved a copy. This can be evidence of reckless behavior, substance abuse, or adultery. If you have children, your divorce will include a custody arrangement, and social media evidence can have a profound impact on your children's lives.

Hire an Experienced Divorce Attorney in North Carolina

If your spouse's social media use has irreversibly damaged your marriage in North Carolina, contact the experienced divorce attorneys at Jerkins Family Law in Raleigh. Our attorneys understand the sensitive nature of social media communications and can give you the best legal representation through this emotional time. Contact us today.