Did “influencing” ruin your marriage?

On Behalf of | Aug 9, 2023 | Divorce, Property Division

Some of these families on Instagram really have it together, don’t they? Did you see how clean that house is? Did you see how happy they are? But then you look at your house, and you look at how long it takes to get everyone together for a simple snapshot. How do they do it?

The truth is, mostly, it’s not real. When a person becomes an “influencer,” their life becomes a product and that can create a lot of pressure on their partners and family who don’t want to live that way.

Social media illusions

Influencers who make their lives the source of their brand can and do get divorced. The most warm and fuzzy Instagram family have all the same struggles that people who don’t spend their lives working for the perfect pic:

  • Bills
  • Childcare struggles
  • Disagreements about plans
  • Familial entanglements
  • Medical problems

But when your day-to-day struggles become fodder for a crowd of watchers on social media, you can begin to build up resentment quickly.

Influencing is a business.

One unique struggle for influencers going through a divorce is the value of their work as an influencer. This can be a very significant amount of income, and – what’s more – if it began as part of a marriage, it might be a very big aspect of a property distribution dispute.

While Massachusetts doesn’t have a community property distribution law, it may be complex to argue that a former spouse has no right to the profits of a thriving influencer business. Additionally, a brand built on a “perfect life” is somewhat trickier if that illusion faces challenges. These are real discussions and real questions.

Keeping quiet makes sense now

If, in the lead-up to your divorce, you documented all the good times and curated a timeline for your followers, that’s fine. However, going forward, it might be best to stop posting on those aspects of your life. Social media is a public forum, and your public statements can be considered evidence of a divorce.