The Curious Case of LinkedIn
The best and the worst social media platform
LinkedIn has turned every individual into a public company. You are listed on the platform, your connections are your shareholders, while your career page and posts are what you provide to potential investors. Of course, we as people are service providers. We sell our services for a price, this is normal. However, LinkedIn has caused us to only show our corporate selves on the platform.
The platform is filled with cringe posts, people twerking for the Man, “motivation”, and faux inspiration. Yet, these posts get large amounts of interaction on the platform because the algorithm loves it. At its core, LinkedIn is a blessing and a curse.
Look, I like LinkedIn. I think it’s a great platform to find employment. If, of course, you use it the way it wants you to use it. I have been lucky enough not to do a lot of twerking for LinkedIn to be of assistance to me. I don't post much. I like a few posts, and try to interact with things I like. This allows the algorithm to know I am around.
The minimal interaction allows the algorithm to put me in searches. Therefore, I have no qualms with the platform on that front, but I do wish I could be myself more. For instance, post what I want. I always feel like I have to post things that people will interact with or it has to relate to my career or my current place of employment. I have to constantly think about how my post will impact my future career as a future employer could be lurking. Should I care? Probably not, but I do.
You could be reading this and thinking why is this guy not using another social media platform if he wants to be himself? All social media websites have their flaws, LinkedIn is the only “Real” social media platform. Why? because the people who use it use it for a purpose and they have to be real people. No catfish. Hence, LinkedIn as a platform is such a curious thing.
It’s just so cringe
If you have a LinkedIn account you have come across a few posts which have made you cringe. If you use the platform daily, you probably come across these posts every day. I feel for you. However, on LinkedIn, no matter what you do you cannot escape them. They will Bryan Mills you.
r/LinkedInLunatics is a great subreddit for you to marvel at the cringe of LinkedIn, you might even see some posts that have crossed your feed.
LinkedIn is filled with the above-type posts. People post about how they do not want to pay people for their time. Reminisce about their days not earning money as an intern, making it seem like what they went through was the correct way.
There is one simple question to get to the bottom of these posts. Why? Why would you say this? What compels one to type this?
Those are three questions, but you get the point.
Some people find this motivational. I do not understand why, but people have built a following through posts like these. Glamourizing working for no pay is mindboggling.
Like, come on, the above post? really? need I write more? Reading the above while typing is annoying me.
Not all of life needs to relate to work or money. I think the bad of LinkedIn does this too often.
I am including the below for good measure.
Luckily, it’s not all bad
LinkedIn is a great place to make connections and advance your career. Unlike other social media platforms, it is a space where people are held somewhat accountable. You cannot hide on LinkedIn, which contributes to the good things about it.
I am not going to write a piece around all that is good with the platform. Alex Kantrowitz has a great write-up on how LinkedIn might be the one good social network.
In his piece he states:
LinkedIn’s built a friendly, productive, and scaled network by developing the right incentives and taking genuine action when things go wrong. It’s not perfect, of course. But given that the network’s peers seem to live in perpetual scandal, there’s a lot we can learn from it.
I could not agree more. LinkedIn has shown that when you use it for what you want, you can get what you want.
I have built connections, been recruited, got interviews, and received offers. Which is exactly what I use the platform for. Therefore, I cannot speak too badly about the platform.
However, I do wish they would stop notifying me of every single thing. Do not think there has been a day where I have not received a notification.
Although it still makes me cringe, it’s not all bad. For instance, people are beginning to shitpost to combat the cringe. Which I love, see this awesome post below.
Currently, the good outweighs the bad but it remains a weird space.
All in all, I hope you’re being yourself.
-Brandon
P.S Happy valentines day.