How to Keep Your Reputation Afloat When Your Marriage Sinks

Social media can be a fun and exciting way to keep up with real life friends and family and can even help you improve your professional life. Unfortunately, too many people abuse the technology and wind up sharing every action of the day with hundreds of “friends” they’ll never meet. It’s bad enough when your partner floods social media with his typical rants, but when those are geared to include you, problems can most definitely arise.

Facebook issues are at least mentioned in 30 percent of Michigan divorce cases. This is a significant problem that couples need to address before becoming serious enough to share information about each other, let alone walk down the aisle. Enter the social media pre-nup, the newest trend in relationship security. But what is an SMP and why is it needed?

The Devil’s in the Details: Tweeting Versus Talking
So many of us are tweeting and posting status updates instead of just talking face-to-face. Unfortunately, there are streams of people who are suddenly privy to our "personal conversations." It People on the outside watch and often wonder what in the world they just saw, and why they couldn’t just look away. Once that send button warms up, the appreciation makes us feel admired, appreciated, and sometimes even adored. That coveted like symbol is just too hard to resist. So everything from images of our cafe lunch, to descriptions of the hot new girl at work gets posted to earn more nods of approval.

But on bad days, everything changes. Suddenly that girl at work somehow deserves that nasty comment you posted about her. You admit to hating your boss, even though his son is on your “friends” list. And your new romantic partner is the bane of your existence because she insisted you use a coaster for your beer in the living room.

While it’s one thing to vent your frustration to a close buddy or two who will keep their mouths shut and likely forget about it all in a week anyway, it's another to put it out there for the entire world to see. And once posted, it's out there forever. Period. Major browsers like Google don’t remove content once it’s posted, and a few specific keywords can lead your girlfriend, boss, and even your mom to that one moment you’ll regret for the rest of your days.

Welcome Social Media Pre-nup
Couples often have trouble discussing boundaries. This can potentially lead to disastrous consequences when the relationship ends, especially if grievances are aired via social media. And that's why there is not a social media pre-nup. This handy little form is a detailed list of what the two of you are actively against sharing with others. It sets firm boundaries, instilling a new order in which the relationship is put above online communication. But what does this entail?

It typically involves a signed and documented promise on both ends that negative, nude, or otherwise unflattering images will never be shared or posted. It can also include agreements on the type of worded content that can be shared with “friends”, as well as firm refusal to discuss personal, sexual, or occupational failures of any type which may reflect badly on one another’s professional lives. While it may seem shocking at first that such measures do exist to cover each other’s virtual butts, the harsh fact is that breakups often bring out the worst side in previously loving partners.

Since pre-nups typically cover financial assets, the general consequences for breaking the rules set forth in the SMP require financial restitution. In New York City, for example, those who make less than $5 million have to pay up to $50,000 per incident. Obviously the pay ratio would be significantly less in Macomb County, Michigan. But that’s something you and your partner can discuss. The SMP can also include a learning curve so that each partner has so many chances before payment must be accounted for.

Will this improve marriage statistics? Well, there are no guarantees. But considering that 80 percent of divorces nationwide now involve some form of significant social media abuse, it’s a definite lean toward better communication. Even if you’re ready to call it quits due in part to your spouse’s lack of online decorum, signing a social media pre-nup prior to divorce can save both of you personal and professional embarrassment after the marriage ties are severed.

If you can't save your marriage, you can at least save your reputation. Contact your Michigan divorce lawyer to find out the best course of action.

Femminineo Attorneys
Michigan Divorce Help
110 S Main St #200
Mt Clemens, MI 48043
United States
(586) 954-9500
http://www.michigandivorcehelp.com/