How I Read Random Headlines Scraped from My LinkedIn Feed

How do we read LinkedIn or the posts on any social network? We scroll for bits. We see images and some text as it rolls by in a parade of self-help and how-to.

It’s not how we learned to read or take in information. How do our brains make sense of it all?

???????Direct mail results skyrocket with multichannel marketing

???????With customer experience, don’t confuse speed with ease

???????Why non-linear career paths are the future

???????De-influencing: Everything brands need to know

???????Fast funding for small business

???????Grab new hats, tees, and shirts fit for the wild

???????Being your own boss isn’t a pipe dream

???????7 most anticipated new hotels and resorts opening in 2023

???????We’ve reduced property taxes for thousands of Texans

???????Las Vegas leads the way for business

???????One click, a lifetime of loyalty

???????How to find joy in your Sisyphean existence

When pulled together in a collection, the headlines above and their keywords, tell a story. It’s a story that’s been told before and one that will be told again.

The hero of the story is a guileless young American. An ambitious and curious someone from the pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald, but 100 years removed. Let’s refer to him as Randall.

Randall is pushing a large rock up a tall hill in his quest to be his own boss. He dreams of fancy vacations and how his muscles will look in the faux wild. But first, he must graze in the cubicle farm, invest wisely, and avoid being taxed.

Randall is feeling queasy. He wipes sweat from his brow. To calm himself, he calls his advisor who does not answer. Randall leaves a voice message. “Do we have to call it mashup culture? I like mashed potato culture* better,” he says.

Randall has an advanced degree in psychology and a keen understanding of people and what motivates groups of people. Strategy is his strength. He can speak to the central fallacy of influencer marketing. He can make graphs. Hell, you can even send him to Vegas on business. The man doesn’t gamble.

When his advisor calls back, Randall is taking a nap. He answers groggily. His advisor says there’s a job opening in the lab. Randall is thankful but he knows he can’t see or hear or smell those monkeys ever again.

Maybe I can teach, he thinks. There’s a shortage of teachers. Maybe I can leave the country, he self-suggests. Go on a walkabout like the Aussies. Work on a cruise ship. Become an Outward Bound instructor.

His career path does not say, THIS WAY. There is no path, Randall concludes. There’s intention and preparation. And he has that. When there are also connections, stamina, and luck there will be opportunities to work.

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*Last Saturday in Brenham, we had tater tot casserole, so I can relate to and even support Randall’s request. What goes into the mash makes all the difference and it takes an alchemist. So, please don’t say there’s no innovation in mashed potato culture. There clearly is.