Debbie Kizem is constantly dealing with thousands of SMS and WhatsApp messages. Every week, the associate of the Divorce and Family Matters department at the Stewarts law firm in London is called upon to carefully study countless files concerning the expensive divorce cases she handles. Their content consists of spontaneous and unprocessed messages once exchanged by former partners who are now engaged in an abyssal war over large estates. "In the analog days of the past, the opposing parties would present me with cards or letters to support their positions," she explains. "Now, endless series of WhatsApp and SMS messages are submitted as evidence. Most of these are extreme. The opposing parties now express their anger uncontrollably, something they couldn’t do in the letters or cards they submitted to me twenty years ago. When someone was called to express themselves through a letter, they thought much more about their words. It’s easy to say 'I hate you' in a message. Digital communication is unfiltered and hurts the parties involved much more if read in court. It is much sharper and can cause greater damage."

In cases of separation, disputes always arise. The end of a marriage is painful. However, the digital world significantly affects our relationships, not only their beginning but also their end. Now, one in five divorces in the USA is connected to some activity on Facebook. In Europe, specifically in Italy, 40% of divorces related to adultery are accompanied by WhatsApp messages used as evidence. Debbie knows firsthand how the digital world affects relationships and families, leading even more couples to court and, of course, to her office.