LinkedIn Isn’t Facebook or Twitter, and Surely Not Tinder
The blurring lines between professional and social networking
Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Quora. Most of you reading this probably have accounts on at least 5 of these 7 platforms, don’t you?
Well, I gave up on these a long time ago. I have some of the most basic accounts, which I also barely use. I’ve got a Facebook, that I barely spend anytime on, and a Linkedin where I update any promotions/job changes but have a very incomplete profile on.
It wasn’t always like this. I used to pay the customary daily visit to my FB feed, and look at the LinkedIn notifications. Until they started to look the same.
There are so many of these must-have accounts that it is hard to keep track.
Thinking social? You must have a Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, at the bare minimum.
Thinking dating? You have to try out Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and probably five others.
Thinking career? Linkedin, Glassdoor, Meetup.
Don’t like definitions? Well, try Twitter, Quora for a cocktail of everything.
And in the race to be relevant and “well-liked” on all of these, people are intentionally or unintentionally blurring the boundaries. Here’s how:
The Hunger for “Likes and Comments”
Let’s admit that it was Facebook that really got us all addicted to collecting likes on status updates and picture uploads.
Unfortunately, that trend has infectiously taken over LinkedIn as well.
My LinkedIn feed which should ideally look like a series of job updates, postings, and professional information, often is flooded with “memes”, “witty status updates”, “picture uploads”, that are remotely tied into a tangential professional topic in a desperate attempt to stay formal.
The worst part is that this behavior isn’t necessarily an exception, it is often a well-liked and encouraged norm. Thousands of likes and comments and “thank you for sharing” comments flood such posts.
Is a professional network really meant for trying to be witty, or show-off your latest travel pictures? I’ve got my doubts about that one.
The Sheer Misuse for “Personal” Motives
That’s just me being nice and not calling a jerk a jerk. What I am talking about is the endless number of desperate guys using professional networks to private message any girl with a half-decent profile picture, to either directly try and hit on them or find the lamest of excuses to connect.
There are numerous women that end up naming and shaming some of these after they’ve had enough — and I can’t really blame them.
It is an utter invasion and disrespect of certain unwritten rules and boundaries that come with such platforms.
There are enough dating sites and appropriate platforms for you to look for a potential date — and LinkedIn surely isn’t the one.
The Pseudo-Helpful, Hungry-for-External-Validation Folks
So being a mini-celebrity on LinkedIn is probably some kind of an ego boost.
While there are some really successful individuals who periodically offer useful advice and help to others on a platform like LinkedIn, there are others that are constantly looking to drive their personal agenda and gain “popularity” in the garb of fake-philanthropic acts.
I am open to reviewing 5 CVs in a week to help some job-seekers improve their job chances.
If you’re looking for a job in these tough times of pandemic, send me your CV, and I’ll forward it on to my network.
Or the quintessential “Commenting for better reach.”
This last one, while it may have its benefits, is my pet peeve. In a status or comment that already has 10,000 likes and comments, mostly on the same lines, what value is your lame comment really going to add? If you did really want to help, wouldn’t you rather send a private message to the person and seek to solve the issue than just “comment for better reach”?
A lot of people, I bet, even do this just for the sake of copying everyone else that’s doing so, without even knowing how it really helps?
The Armchair Critics/Forever Complainers
You see XYZ multinational put a post on their latest drug development.
And another that mentioned their latest marketing campaign and how it was a success.
This is all very legitimate LinkedIn content for corporates and corporate accounts and is a key part of branding and communication.
Yet, some frustrated individuals will choose this very platform to go up in arms against random things.
As a random example, Amazon posts about their latest 1-day delivery. And comments start to trickle in:
I ordered a toilet roll from Amazon and it was torn into pieces by the time of delivery.
I requested a refund for a shirt that I wore 10 times before I decided to return — but you didn’t refund my money.
OK, I may be exaggerating and those aren’t actual complaints — but among 100 different ways of getting redressals for issues, attacking an official account/post of a company or person is the right thing? I’d doubt that.
These are only a few examples of the rampant misuse of professional networks like LinkedIn for purposes that are definitely not what the platforms are meant for. While it is good to keep up with the times and use technology and online media to your advantage, it is also imperative to know the appropriateness of each platform for the right content. So next time before you post something on the internet, ensure you’ve got the content-platform match right!