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You may not be a Hollywood star, but you probably need to rethink your social media strategy

On Behalf of | Aug 16, 2017 | Divorce

As you may have heard by now, Chris Pratt and Anna Farris have decided to end their marriage. Even if you have no clue who these people are or couldn’t care less about their break-up, if you find yourself participating in the legal system, you should borrow a page from their social media playbook.

Chris and Anna published a joint statement regarding their split, stating they wanted “to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward” and have been mum on the issue ever since. Publishing a joint statement on your social media may be a bit extreme for anyone living outside a Hollywood zip code, but staying silent about your split (or any ongoing court case) is just good practice.

Even though your relationship may be ending, the internet is forever. Something said about an ex in the heat of the moment, or even a meme shared on your page about baby daddy/mama issues can come back to haunt you later.

Someone is always watching your social media pages. Blocking an ex does not mean they won’t see what you’ve written about them. Someone else can see it, and it may not be very long before that post ends up in your ex’s inbox. Then, it goes to their lawyer.

Lawyers love people who post to social media. Using someone’s social media posts as evidence in the courtroom is becoming more and more common. Your anger may have subsided and feelings changed since your post but once those words are out there, you can’t take them back. You just may find yourself confronted with them by the lawyer on the other side of your case.

At Bowen Ten Long & Bal, PC, one of the first pieces of advice we give to the people we meet is to stay off social media and/or be extremely careful about what you say. At the very least, avoid posting anything about your personal life. We can give you a great legal strategy, but we can’t unsay what has already been put out there. Be like Chris and Anna: have a smart social media strategy.

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