Although Facebook is mostly used as a social networking tool to keep in contact with friends and family, it's no surprise that a friendly poke, comment or maybe even a 'like' could cause some jealousy or suspicion within relationships.
It also isn't too much of a surprise that simple online correspondences can evolve into complicated affairs. Whatever the case is, social networking has become engrained in our culture and is at the heart of many relationships being created, maintained and unfortunately ruined.
In a survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), researchers found that Facebook was mentioned in 1 out of every 5 divorces in the United States.
In addition, 81% of the country's busiest divorce attorneys mentioned an increase in the number of divorce cases that used social networking for evidence. Of course, Facebook was most often used as a primary source of evidence in 66% of online divorce evidence.
Steven Kimmons, a clinical psychologist practicing in Illinois stated that "We're coming across it more and more. One spouse connects online with someone they knew from high school. The person is emotionally available and they start communicating through Facebook."
"Within a short amount of time, the sharing of personal stories can lead to a deepened sense of intimacy, which in turn can point the couple in the direction of physical contact," Kimmons explained. "I don’t think these people typically set out to have affairs. A lot of it is curiosity. They see an old friend or someone they dated and decide to say ‘hello’ and catch up on where that person is and how they’re doing.”
