On Instagram feeds often saturated with meticulously curated, contrived content, a recent post by Monette Wagner distinguished itself through its disarming candor.

Gazing directly into the lens, Wagner, a 36-year-old mother of three, remarked in the footage: “Divorce can feel like a death.”

In what resembles a digital journal, Wagner has posted videos in real time about the emotions and life changes that have come with her recent divorce.

Developing financial independence, getting used to co-parenting, and moving on from heartbreak are frequent themes of her Instagram posts.

An increasing number of people, mostly women, are openly sharing candid divorce stories on social media, both giving and seeking advice.

By moving past the stigma of discussing marital breakdowns, this content gives creators a space to heal and allows their followers to relate to and reflect on their own experiences and emotions.

A professional photographer based in Indianapolis, Wagner had already cultivated an Instagram following to showcase and promote her work.

Recently, however, she has steered the account toward this more intimate and emotionally exposed direction.

In addition to posts addressing the more somber moments, she also shares insights gleaned from experience alongside more hopeful reflections.

She has spoken openly about her desire to reconnect with the assured, inquisitive individual she was over a decade ago—prior to meeting the man who would become her ex-husband.

She is now rekindling pastimes from her adolescence, such as skateboarding and learning to DJ.

"I wanted to show my kids that you can still be strong even through these hard days. I wanted to show them how strong hope is," she said.

"I feel more confident. I feel resilient. I feel like I faced my fears of showing up scared, of putting myself out there as my authentic self."

On TikTok, where niche content categories sometimes earn a nickname, material that explores the difficulties of marriage has been dubbed "divorce-tok."

The extent to which creators choose to disclose details about their divorces and marriages varies considerably.

Some, such as Wagner, refrain from posting about their former partners.

Others offer comprehensive narratives of the issues within their marriages, as well as the often acrimonious and protracted process of finalizing their divorce.

The voyeuristic appeal of social media often favors story-time-style videos, where creators speak as if chatting on the phone with a friend, omitting no detail.

Some creators post these as one-off videos, while others make them the central focus of their platforms.

Divorce-related trends also emerge periodically online, such as this season's "hot divorcée summer" videos and clips showcasing people's post-divorce "glow-ups," which are physical and often emotional transformations.

The #divorce hashtag has millions of posts on both TikTok and Instagram.

Jen Hamilton, a labor and delivery nurse with over 5 million TikTok followers, has recently been sharing the 'nitty-gritty' details of her divorce, as she mentioned in one video.

Hamilton has explained how her husband led what she described as a 'double life' with another partner, and has posted videos of herself crying, making jokes, and generally processing the news while keeping her characteristic optimism.

In a more celebratory post, Hamilton shared photos and videos marking what would have been her 14th wedding anniversary, commemorating the occasion with what she called a “Jendependence Day” party.

More than a dozen friends and colleagues joined her at her North Carolina home as she burned her bedsheets and toasted to her future beyond her marriage.

"I feel that sharing my pain with you makes me less alone, since so many others are going through the exact same thing," she said in a video in July.

She added that her followers, in turn, also feel less alone.

While some men have posted content along these lines, women constitute the overwhelming majority of creators producing content about divorce.

Many of these creators maintain that they are not sharing their stories to elicit pity or sympathy, but rather aspire to cultivate a sense of community online with individuals who have undergone comparable experiences.

Alex Daly, a 41-year-old creator based in Philadelphia, began sharing her experience of divorce roughly three years after having gone through it herself.

Having reached a point where she had fully processed the emotional fallout, she felt compelled to speak openly about the ordeal.

Her intention is to connect with those who are “still in the thick of it, because it’s a really hard place to be,” she remarked.

The experience can be profoundly isolating, often making you feel as though you are the only one facing such circumstances, Daly said.

Her followers have thanked her, saying she voices thoughts and feelings they have long kept to themselves.

"You're making me feel normal," she said some people message her.

It seems paradoxical that a topic which can be difficult or awkward to discuss with family and friends is also one that some people feel comfortable sharing with potentially millions of strangers online.

However, forming digital connections can be much easier than forming in-person ones, according to Tasha R. Dunn, an associate professor at the University of Toledo.

Dunn researches the relationship between lived experiences and media, including how we present our lives on social media.

"Divorce support groups are scarce in most communities, yet you have a tool at your fingertips—through your phone or computer—to find people who have truly been through the same experience," Dunn said.

Individuals may feel somewhat more secure sharing such content online than they would in a physical town hall, announcing, ’Everyone is welcome; I intend to recount my personal experience.’

The openness that makes divorce-related content so popular could also harm those who post it while involved in legal proceedings.

Jackie Combs, a matrimonial and family law attorney in Los Angeles, stated that she advises against publicly sharing any divorce-related content online, particularly personal grievances or intimate details.

"Every single reel you publish, along with any content linked to it, should be created with the understanding that someone is watching and might later use it as evidence if necessary," she said.

On social media, Combs herself frequently shares content pertaining to divorce, emphasizing the significance of financial independence and prenuptial agreements.

She has stated that she regards social media as instrumental in the “destigmatization” of divorce, conveying to people that it is “not the end, it’s just a pivot.”

Figures such as Wagner and Daly are equally susceptible to sustained harassment and vitriol online.

Daly said she has received comments and messages from people asserting that she is “ruining people’s lives” or that she lacks morals.

She added that she tries not to let such remarks or interactions affect her, since those individuals are unaware of what happened in the privacy of her marriage or of her true character.

The negativity is “just proving that there is still a stigma and a taboo around divorce,” Daly said, which in turn fuels her determination to “share about how divorce just doesn’t have to be the end of your life and how it can actually be an amazing beginning.”