Get ahead of social media before it hurts relationships

You can get in a lot of trouble on social media; just ask Roseanne Barr or hundreds of other public figures or private citizens who have lost their jobs or suffered other consequences of careless online statements.

You’ve probably seen private family disputes played out on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and if you’re like most of us, you don’t want to see any more.

There’s nothing more personal than a marriage, and that’s a prime place for an emotional tweet or post to have unintended consequences.

If the dispute deteriorates into divorce, lawyers get involved, and that’s almost never a good thing.

Even lawyers know an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, and that’s why many of them are drafting prenuptial agreements that include a social media clause.

It’s one thing to accuse a spouse of being inconsiderate, it’s another to post something about an ex whose image is a stock in trade — doctors, business owners and, yes, lawyers.

It doesn’t take much study of cause and effect to link such online negativity to economic loss, and that’s when things can get really ugly.

Even if you’re not drawing up a prenuptial agreement, it’s a good idea to have a serious discussion with a present or future spouse about things like what information or photos should be shared, especially about children, what privacy settings should be used, who actually has access to a joint social media account, and what topics are appropriate topics for a post.

This day and age, staying completely off the internet is unthinkable for many of us, as desirable as it might be.

But it’s always a good idea to read everything you’ve just keyed into a post, read it again and once more. If it’s something you might possibly regret, hit delete. You’ll still have the satisfaction of putting your grievance into words, without harming yourself or others.