Is a Facebook addiction going to end your marriage?

Addictive and compulsive behavior can be damaging to any marriage. Alcohol and other drugs have broken many a marriage in Missouri, as one spouse demonstrates their true love for their chemical dependency, to the exclusion of the their real, human spouse.

Some have pointed to video game addictions as the source of friction ends the relationship that is the core of any marriage. And now comes social media in the guise of Facebook. A woman has admitted that spending too much time on Facebook cost her marriage.

As silly and trivial as that sounds, it should not surprise anyone who instinctively looks at their phone every time a text or new posting appears. Services like Facebook are additive and satisfying because they provide their participant with a constant “new,” as every post arrives.

None of the information may be important or even remotely significant, but it provides a form of attention that is very satisfying to many people. If your relationship with your spouse is not the best, or if they merely are not around much, it is easy to fall into this type of relationship, which supplies constant and infinite feedback.

Facebook and other social media also contribute to couples filing for divorce when they provide concrete evidence of dishonesty or deception. And because the act of posting to Facebook can become so addictive, you may “forget” that you are posting pictures of your new “friend” where your spouse may find them.

One attorney noted that social media’s involvement in one in seven divorces sounded “low,” and they suggested it might be closer to half.

Again, not surprising, given the presence of smartphones with cameras in every hand. If you are experiencing difficulty in your marriage, you may want to evaluate your social media usage and ask yourself it is the cause of your problems or merely a symptom.

Fox13.com, “Woman blames Facebook for divorce, she’s not the only one,” Ashton Edwards and CNN Wire, May 6, 2015