LinkedIn: From Professional Networking To Social Crap: A Commentary

 

Photo: MuckRuck; LinkedIn logo.

There are many who may remember the early days of the professional network site known as LinkedIn. It was started back in 2003 as a place where professionals could network with like-minded individuals without the noise, drama,  and oversharing BS that plague other platforms (ex: Facebook). It was also a place to network with recruiters and job hunt as the platform allows companies to post openings.

When I was surfing the internet the other day, I ran across an article by Business Insider on how weird LinkedIn has become, which prompted me to write this commentary. I was one of the early adopters of LinkedIn (joined around 2005) and I’ve seen firsthand how it’s changed. Here’s an example of a LinkedIn post that was included in the article. This is a typical of what you expect to find on the site nowadays.  

"Take one post from Peter Rota, an SEO specialist from Massachusetts. "I have a secret," he wrote to his thousands of followers in August 2022. "Most people are not even aware this is a real thing. Since 2015, I have struggled with peeing in public restrooms."

 

W.T.F?  Why would you post that on ANY site. I sure as hell would not hire this dude. Would you trust him with confidential company info or trade secrets? Hell no.

People no longer have filters or a sense of decorum. In my opinion, the demise of LinkedIn started around 2016 when Microsoft acquired the platform.  As public company, Microsoft has shareholders to answer to, which would explain why the mission of the platform has changed and the rules of posting content have been tossed out the window. It’s all about growing users. The most recent numbers has LinkedIn with 900 million accounts of which 250 million are active monthly users, according to Search Engine Journal.com. That means only 28% of accounts are actively using the site. The rest are probably people like me who've given up on the site and infrequently use it.  LinkedIn ranks as #9 in terms of active monthly users among social medial platforms.

LinkedIn has morphed into what many are referring to as “Facebook 2.0”.  The site has been allowed to be taken over by individuals who view it as an extension of Facebook.  The original intention has been lost and replaced with an "anything goes" ethos. It's now common place to see posts of very personal nature (like the example above), or vacation photos, relationship status, details & rambles of a breakup up or loss (either personal, job loss, financial hardship, health issues, etc.) kids photos, political rants, wedding announcements, and so on. 

It’s even become a quasi-marketplace. Real estate agents use it as an extension of Zillow. They post properties they either sold or are hoping to sell. I have complained to LinkedIn about their lack of oversight and content moderation especially regarding political posts. I never get a response.

Photo: Bliq

I still have my account. The only reason I haven't shut it down is because of job recruiters; and a couple of times a year I get an “invite” to network with someone from my work past or industry. That's the only time I use it. LinkedIn has veered so much from its original premise that its hard to distinguish it from Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.  It's a shame because had LinkedIn executives taken the time plan its future, I believe the platform could have maintained its original premise while integrating certain attributes of its peer social media platforms. Innovation with strong discipline to build a community for business professionals.    

As the Business Insider article alluded to, people don’t know the meaning of the word “professional” anymore nor how to behave like one. Neither does the platform. 

Source: Business Insider; Search Engine Journal