Facebook Might Have Caused Your Marriage Failure, Study Says
It’s been said that the very things that attract us to our partners are the things that end up repelling us.
Enter social media, that great aggravator of all human problems. Your partner’s online habits may irritate you, but is Facebook flirtation and addiction really to blame for your marital failure?
New research suggests the answer may be yes – even in relationships without pre-existing problems. It used to be that couples quarreled over one spouse’s affinity for golf or how much money the other spent on shoes. Now it’s about how much time is spent on Facebook.
Studies Suggest a Link between Facebook, Divorce
Researchers examining divorce rates across the US found that a 20% annual increase in the share of a state’s population with a Facebook account from 2008 to 2010 was associated with a 2.2% increase in that state’s divorce rate. Compelling numbers, but does this actually mean that Facebook is responsible for divorce?
“We don’t know whether Facebook is causing divorce or divorce is causing the use of Facebook,” says Sebastián Valenzuela, who co-authored the study.
It’s possible that Facebook is cited in so many divorce lawyer cases because it is used as a tool by warring spouses to find evidence of infidelity. Or perhaps the newly separated are flocking to social networks to find new relationships.
Facebook: Your Ex Is Just a Click Away
According to one 2011 study of young married couples, 32% of heavy social media users say they’ve thought seriously about leaving their spouses, compared with 16% of people who don’t use social networks. But Facebook itself is not to be blamed, but rather, the way people choose to use it.
While extramarital affairs used to need time and the right context to develop, social media puts your exes just a click away. But ex-partners ostensibly interested in how you are doing after all this time aren’t the only culprits. Affairs can develop among existing Facebook friends and even random strangers.
Today, when you meet a fellow parent outside your kid’s daycare, you may think nothing of adding them on Facebook. You begin to chat online about parenting challenges and develop a strong (but questionable) sense of connection before agreeing to meet for coffee. Coffee turns into drinks, and your inhibitions are lowered.
Real – Not Real-Time – Relationships Take Effort
The bottom line? Even if your Facebook chatting is entirely innocent of cyber-flirting, it can still be a problem. Your partner is the person you should be excited to tell about the documentary you just saw or how you want to learn to cook Szechuan. Your marriage is the place you should be spending your time and energy.
Is Your Partner’s Facebook Use Making You Consider Divorce?
If your spouse’s unacceptable behaviour on Facebook is making you think that you’ll need to seek legal help from a Toronto divorce lawyer regarding divorce, Fine & Associates Professional Corporation can help. We have years of experience handling divorce cases that arise from infidelity, or even the suspicion of it, and we work on resolving the issues fairly and effectively.
Please fill out the form on the right to for a free private phone consultation, and we’ll contact you shortly to discuss your concerns and needs.