Let’s talk about how pretentious LinkedIn has become

I just blocked someone on LinkedIn for the first time. 

Tim Denning explained my reasoning best:

“I know blocking is bad, but I’ve been left with no choice.”

It started when I noticed a common trend with posts dominating my feed. They all looked exactly the same.

Heres’ the template:

• Tell us when you failed

• Tell us how you failed

• Explain why the world is working against you

• Explain why that failure was the best thing ever

• Hey, now you’ve made it big time!

I no longer see updates from my co-workers. Or articles from fellow writers. It’s all a recycling bin of the same content over and over again, providing very basic (and obvious) ‘value’ borrowed from someone else.

The template for the post that pushed me over the edge said the following:

What society tells you is cool:

• Chick-fil-A

• Mercedes-Benz

• 100K in debt

What’s actually cool:

• Cooking your own meals

• A used car with no payments

• No limit to earnings

• No debt

• Doing something that makes you happy

It had almost 6,000 engagements and 145 comments.

The marketer in me said “really?” out loud. Marketing agencies spend a lot of time and money carefully writing content for their audience and can only dream of those numbers.

The human in me just doesn't get it. Who thinks debt is cool? Or Chik-fil-A, the company with a long history of donating to charities with anti-LGBTQ stances? Sure, doing something that makes you happy is important. But it’s mind-numbingly obvious.

So, why are these posts getting attention?

The trick is the lack of attention, actually.

LinkedIn ‘virality’ is rooted in dwindling attention spans, following the same format as every other social media platform. They pitch you in the first sentence and then rip off a list of simple words to tell a sensational ten-second story. Throw in a few all-caps phrases for emphasis and you’re set.

As writer Sean Kernan recently pointed out, it has never been easier to go viral on LinkedIn. I couldn’t agree more. LinkedIn has slowly turned into the step-sibling of Facebook and Instagram, emphasising highly sharable, generic, and simple posts. This means many of the viral posts on LinkedIn are terrible and highly contradicting.

They shove hustle culture in your face while also pushing work-life balance and happiness.

They tell you to be unique but litter their posts with buzzwords.

They emphasise networking but do so on a platform built to make relationships more transactional than genuine.

And we can’t forget about the spam:

“Hi Jonah, do you want more clients?”

“Hey Jonah, I saw your work and think my product can really help you.”

“Jonah, it appears we have a mutual connection. Want to connect so I can show you how I will make you money?”

Sell. Sell. Sell. That’s what LinkedIn has become — a giant sales pitch.

I am wary of connecting with other industry professionals, something that used to be exciting, because every other person is sending me one, two, even five-carbon copy messages selling a product or service. People don’t even introduce themselves anymore.

The problem is, LinkedIn maintains the illusion of a “professional platform.” Despite being littered with memes, phoney posts, spam, and internet trolls, we still turn to LinkedIn for career advancement, brand thought leadership, and industry connections.

Let’s ‘right the ship’

This trend presents a real challenge for marketers trying to reach their audience. We want to be genuine and valuable but are competing with a myriad of content promoting the opposite. It’s even worse for job seekers who are desperate in a depleted market.

I think of people who are relying on LinkedIn right now like my sister, a senior in college, who is anxiously preparing to enter the real world in June. She joined LinkedIn a few weeks ago to look for an internship, a tactic her university recommended.

What is she going to find?

A stream of empty advice from so-called thought leaders and entrepreneurs?

Marketers and brand leaders need to lead a new charge on platforms like LinkedIn, striking the intersection of value, reality, and professionalism. No more peacocking about your new job or regurgitated essays without a takeaway.

If you’re going to write something on LinkedIn, make it genuine. If you’re going to connect with someone, don’t flood their inbox.

Let’s build LinkedIn into the professional platform it claims to be.

=====