Flagler Students react to Facebook and divorce

By Andrew McDaniel | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Sherria Jones and other Flagler College students weighed in on Facebook and its relationship with divorce rates.

“I don’t think its fair to say Facebook and sites like that are the cause of divorce,” Jones said. “The cause is the people themselves, but Facebook sheds light on what they’re doing.”

The speculation on Facebook’s relationship with divorce rates has been in the news over the past few weeks after several news outlets picked up a statistic from a Loyola University study that was found to have statistical errors. It reported that 1 in 5 of all divorces are related to Facebook.

For Jones, the high divorce rates have more to do with age and maturity rather than social networking.

“People get married way too young and for the wrong reasons. I just don’t think people are getting married for genuine reasons like they used to,” she said.

Karly Berezowsky, a sophomore at Flagler, agrees.

“People get married too young. They don’t really think about it before going in,” she said.

Berezowsky said Facebook is linked to the divorce rate because if its ability to reveal private details.

“Everything is on Facebook,” she said. ” People can see who you’re talking to especially if it’s someone that you shouldn’t.”

According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, “81 percent of AAML members cited an increase in the use of evidence from social networking websites during the past five years.” Of the social networking sites listed, Facebook was named by 66 percent of the members.

Flagler junior Eric Steckel can understand how Facebook could contribute to divorce rates.

“Its an easier and quicker way in allowing someone to engage in shady activites,” Steckel said.