Prenups with social media clause on the rise

Legal agreements starting to have rules about what spouses can post about each other

“All human beings have three lives: public, private and secret.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez

So it has come to this: Yet more proof, as if we needed it, that our dependence on technology is overwhelming and our addiction to social media potentially toxic.

Prenuptial agreements with a social media clause are on the rise. Yep, you read right. Before the exchange of rings, before the public declaration of love, before the sappy Best Man’s toast, couples are ensuring their privacy in print. They’re writing rules about what, when and how — sometimes even if — to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat.

Whether we realize it or not, who we are and what we’re shown doing on social media has become as important as the zeroes in our bank account. Celebrities learned that quickly enough, but us mere mortals, we take a bit longer to understand the ramification of online fiascos.

Raised eyebrows and snide comments aside, it’s a good thing savvy couples are seeking these agreements, and their existence should surprise no one, especially those of us who visit these sites often enough to witness occasions that have no business becoming public. At best, it may be a photo that captures someone in an unflattering pose. At worst it may show someone in an unfavourable light, one so glaringly bright that it damages how others judge the unfortunate soul.

A social media prenup tries to address what’s acceptable to share online about each other and about the relationship. If terms of the agreement are not met, then there are serious consequences; namely, a hefty fine. I imagine this provision comes in handy during a divorce, when one party may be tempted to post incriminating pics or to divulge humiliating information.

Examples of no-nos? Nude photos are banned, as well as posts that may harm a significant other’s professional reputation. Those are the no-brainers. However, the situations that trip a couple up are the in-between, the subjective, the ones that may be considered hilarious by one spouse but mortifying by the other.

More important, though, is that sharing without permission or regard for another’s feelings is a violation of a relationship’s most important commodity: trust. We seem to have forgotten that basic precept.

Apparently it may take a legal document to remind us.