Social media use is one of the leading factors that cause family relationships to deteriorate. According to the surveys, 59.1% of people check what their lover/spouse is doing online, 70.9% do not approve of their lover/spouse seeing their ex-lover/spouse online and at least 48% think that the internet increases divorce and infidelity.
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According to the research "New Media Technologies and Social Media as a Factor Affecting Divorces in Turkey in the Last Five Years" conducted by Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication, social media use is seen as one of the important factors in the breakup of families.
According to the research, factors such as new media technologies, social media and cell phones increase divorces.
New media technologies facilitate cheating
According to the results of interviews with 36 divorce lawyers and an online survey of 278 people, new media technologies and social media are among the top reasons for divorce.
According to the research, which states that the widespread use of new media technologies makes it easier to cheat, people spend time on social media instead of spending time with their families. Users who envy other lives start to search for different ones. Social media posts also cause jealousy.
Excessive use of social media damages family relationships
According to the survey conducted online and answered by 278 respondents, 59.1% of the study group check what their boyfriend/wife does online, 70.9% do not approve of their boyfriend's/wife's online contact with their ex-girlfriend/wife and at least 48% think that the Internet increases divorce and infidelity. The rate of those who think that "the Internet prepares the environment for people to cheat on their lovers/spouses" is at least 51%. According to the data, one of the reasons for the negative impact of social media on family structure is spending too much time on the internet.
Spending too much time on the internet is a reason for divorce
Behaviors such as not paying enough attention to children, not giving enough time to the spouse and not fulfilling household chores due to spending too much time on the internet can be put forward as a reason for divorce in case of divorce proceedings.
When the examples of divorce cases filed due to internet addiction are examined, it is generally seen that spouses make complaints such as "My wife does not get off the internet", "My husband is always on the computer...", "My wife is addicted to Facebook", "My wife is addicted to the internet...", "My wife does not take care of the children because of the internet", "My wife goes online instead of doing housework".
A common situation in divorce cases: Catching inappropriate messages
Content on Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms is increasingly being used as evidence in divorce cases. According to the lawyers interviewed, catching inappropriate messages that a spouse sends to or receives from someone else has become a common occurrence in divorce cases.
Gül Esra Atalay, Faculty of Communication Assistant Professor Gül Esra Atalay, who conducted the research, pointed out that the social effects of social media have been felt strongly for some time, and that various problems caused by the use of social media, especially in romantic relationships and marriages, have become a situation that we frequently hear in daily life. Atalay made the following evaluations:
Atalay: "The results were beyond what we anticipated"
"Based on this, we wanted to verify this effect scientifically. Our in-depth interviews with divorce lawyers showed that the negative effects of social media on marriages are far beyond what we had anticipated.
Social media is a source of doubt for marriage
There are extensive studies on this subject in North America and the UK. These studies show that social media ranks high among the factors affecting divorces. In Turkey, we have conducted the first research on this subject. Our results revealed the negative effects of social media use on marriages and the role it plays in divorces. According to the results of the survey, which was answered by 278 people we reached online, social media is a source of "suspicion" not only for marriages but also for romantic relationships in general. The majority of respondents admitted that they check their spouses' and partners' online activities. From this point of view, it is possible to say that new media technologies and social media function as a surveillance and monitoring mechanism for relationships.
