Essay on facebook and marriage

Submitted By groovalogistgirl
Words: 438
Pages: 2

Over the past years, Facebook has garnered millions of users across the world. Users can perform many activities via the social network, such as connecting with family and friends, uploading photos, viewing others’ profiles, and meeting new people. However, Facebook has also constantly been mentioned as a catalyst for the increasing divorce rates in America. In 2009, Facebook was blamed for 20 percent of divorces (Ziegler, 2012). According to a divorce-online survey, Facebook was cited in 33 percent of divorce reports in 2011 (Ziegler, 2012), showing almost a 50 percent increase in two years. In Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin’s article, “How Facebook Can Destroy Your Marriage,” the author explains how Facebook can interfere in a marriage, especially those that are on the verge of divorce. Through Slatkin’s successful use of arrangement, metaphor, ethos, and pathos, the author is able to effectively convey the impact that social networks can have on a marriage and how Facebook can serve as a portal to infidelity, and ultimately, divorce.
The author arranges his argument into three main ideas and explains how/why each idea can cause conflict within a marriage. His first argument is that spouses often compare their lives to other married couples on Facebook. This can create resentment between spouses because it can cause them to feel that their marriage isn’t great as others. His second argument is that people can easily develop relationships via Facebook. Because of this, spouses who feel disregarded can seek “attention from the opposite gender” on Facebook and eventually find themselves in a “compromised situation.” His last argument is that a spouse’s ability to vent on Facebook can interfere in one’s marriage. Slatkin provides an example, stating