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Facebook Linked To One In Five Divorces In US
An anonymous reader writes "yes, in theory if you're single, Facebook can help you meet that special someone. But for those in even the healthiest of marriages, improper use can quickly devolve into a marital disaster. A recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that Facebook is cited in one in five divorces in the United States. Also, more than 80 percent of divorce lawyers reported a rising number of people are using social media to engage in extramarital affairs."
Saying that divorces are linked to Facebook is like saying car purchases are linked to internet usage.
This is a common way for people to communicate. Facebook is going to be "linked to" everything as long as this is a fact.
In other news:
Facebook is linked to 50% of parties. Facebook is linked to 80% of weddings. Facebook is linked to 100% of political. Facebook is linked to 65% of friendships. Facebook is linked to 90% of people liking stuff.
I'd be willing to bet that the use of the telephone (one of the greatest social inventions of all time) is linked to just about 100% of all divorces, as well.
What is it with everyone trying to blame Facebook and Craigslist for all the ills of the world? They are tools, and nothing more. But they are new, and so I guess that makes them suspicious, doesn't it?
I'm fairly sure there were stories like this going around when email became popular, and people started using it to, y'know, communicate with each other.
Before that, cellphones--telephones--hell, I bet even the telegraph was implicated in adultery.
(WHAT.ARE.YOU.WEARING.STOP
SIX.SKIRTS.HOOPS.CRINOLINE.BUSTLE.CHEMISE.HAT.STOP
NO.GLOVES.YOU.NAUGHTY.WENCH.STOP)
And back before that, it was letters.
Anything people have ever used to communicate has been implicated in adultery, because that's sort of how to set up a liason, ain't it?
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree
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If you're in one of the "healthiest of marriages", you're not going to be doing anything on facebook or elsewhere that's going to jeopardize your marriage. I'm not going to be an asshole in person, or online. If you think that something is OK online, but not in real life, then you've got problems.
Facebook Linked To One In Five Divorces In US
And how many are linked to cars (*), another tool used by those who have decided to be unfaithful?
:-)
Yet another time for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation.
(*) Hey, dumb stories demand a car analogy.
I thought it was the homosexuals that were a threat to my marriage? You can't possibly get me to accept that now its the Internet and the Facebook that are the real barrier to matrimonial bliss.
Lets be honest, the usual cause of most divorces is the two people in the marriage.
Shouldn't people at some point stop blaming outside influences for their own failings ?
I'm happily married. I'm a hardcore gamer, who spend a lot of time online. My wife hates computer games. We make it work fine.
My daughter owns a notebook, spends a lot of time online. I don't have any kind of "network nanny" on her computer. So far, she hasn't committed mass murder in her school.
Go be a husband/wife and a parent. Stop blaming outside influences, computers, games, TV etc for your own failings. Own up to it.
Facebook don't force people to commit adultery. Videogames don't brainwash kids to murder other people. Deal with it.
morcego
is that there are no divorce lawyers in Arkansas. according to the AAML website. Is divorce not legal there?
Divorce requires a marriage. Marriage requires a license. A license requires the pair to be unrelated.
Sorry, I feel ashamed and guilty for the above but I'm going to press submit anyway.
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At first I thought it was basically saying that 20% of all facebook users get a divorce and facebook was the culprit. Now I realize its saying that out of all the divorces, 20% of them claim its due to a connection they made with someone on facebook. I would like to know what percentage these 20% contribute to the entire demographic of married couples on facebook (if both spouses on facebook count as 1). That would give a better perspective on how much an impact facebook has IMO. Whatever the results, I would consider the same impact substantially higher for non-married committed relationships where separation consists of no legal paperwork or drawn out procedures. I'm so old and jaded these days I know the grass is never greener on the other side. Everyone has a list of flaws, marriage is all about finding the person with the flaws you are willing to live with. Leaving a known quantity for an unknown quantity is not really the smartest choice. After 11 yrs of marriage I know that if I leave a mess somewhere I wont get judged over it. Likewise if my wife does something that gets on my nerves I'm over it in 10 minutes anyway. None of that exists in a new relationship. Sure its shiny and new, but eventually that wears off and suddenly you realize there's flaws you might NOT be willing to live with. Acceptance is the most important ingredient for making a relationship survive the long haul. Going with shiny and new, you never know if the other person wont bolt as soon as they find out you fart in bed, or like to work late on projects. Just because you two get along great as pen pals is hardly a basis to completely up-heave ones life.
Is this the Peer Reviewed research that our academic publishers are claiming deserves high fees for? What happened to outrage at bad methodology?
P.S. Bill and Ted like this.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
My Grandma got married a few months back (yes, you read that right). I was talking to one of the ministers at the service, and he was commenting on how he does fewer weddings these days than he used to. I asked him if he thought it might be because people are having more odd-ball weddings, rather than typical church related services. He said he had worried about that at first, but after doing some digging, it just seemed like fewer people were actually interested in marriage. This trend seemed particularly true in younger adults like myself.
That kind of discussion, plus this kind of news, plus my own personal experiences talking to folks makes me wonder if the institution is simply being questioned on a more fundamental level. It always seemed a bit odd to me (though not completely unreasonable) to commit oneself to the company of another single person for the entirety of one's remaining life. I think a lot of younger folks are starting to question that paradigm as well. As such, I think this particular 'study' might just be revealing a symptom of a deeper topic. I think the traditional institution of marriage is on the verge of slipping from being the formal definition. I don't think as many people in the free (kinda) world today are as interested or intrigued by the idea of spending the rest of their lives with one person. One of the great things the internet has done is that it has opened many people to new perspectives and new ideas. There is a lot to learn out there, and there are millions of beautiful people to meet and get to know on whatever level one may desire. I think, in light of these revelations, folks are starting to see that binding oneself to a single mate for the rest of their lives seems a bit, well, boring. If you marry someone when you are, say 22, and after ten years or so, you two have had a good run, and some good times, but things have stagnated, why not let good memories remain good memories, quit while you're ahead, and go meet someone new (if that's what you both want)?
Of course, these are just the musings of my own mind, but it's something to think about. I'd wager that over the next few decades, we are going to see the traditional institution of marriage start to fall from its place as the accepted standard.
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There was a story a few months ago about a preacher warning his congregation about Facebook infidelity. While the his comments were of course hyperbolic, there's some truth at the core. It's not blaming Facebook, but it facilitates people looking up old relationships which could lead to problems.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Of those involving Facebook, 100% involved Farmville.
Strange, but encouraging to see this sort of wisdom on slashdot. This is the original reason for marriage, (vastly) predating preferential tax treatment etc. Children are an essential part of every civilization, which is why if there is an exception to every culture having a marriage ceremony, it would be the exception that proves the rule.
And if people are going to bring about the end of a marriage which has borne children, through action or inaction, then let it be said that they are selfish dicks for doing so.
If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.