LinkedIn Today: Is the Purpose Defeated? Albert Kobina Mensah, Ph.D.

1.0??? Introduction: brief background

I've been contemplating writing a post about LinkedIn. Actually, I am just a writer without any any restrictions to some specific expertise. I can write about any subject that truly fascinates me. Just like a biophysicist, I possess the ability to navigate the social sciences and humanities alongside my core scientific expertise. I have written over thirty publications on public policy, Ghanaian politics, governance, and leadership. I support the notion of a better society in my writings, which adds credibility to these ideas. However, I have chosen to write an article about LinkedIn today. I have been on LINKEDIN for over thirteen years, after finishing my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana in 2011.

2.0?? LinkedIn: brief history and significance

LinkedIn is a business and employment platform founded in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly. It has been owned by Microsoft since December 2016. The platform primarily serves for professional networking and career advancement, allowing job seekers to showcase their CVs and employers to advertise job openings. With over 1 billion registered members from over 200 countries, LinkedIn mirrors real-life professional relationships. Members can extend invitations to others to form connections. The platform offers features like organizing offline events, joining groups, writing articles, publishing job postings, and sharing photos and videos[1].

I've been pondering the significance of LinkedIn. Upon cursory search in Chat GPT, it becomes apparent that there are numerous benefits:

1. LinkedIn offers valuable networking opportunities by connecting users with industry executives, potential employers, and colleagues.
2. The platform is widely recognised for its career development opportunities and job listings.
3. Showcasing one’s expertise by highlighting the achievements, abilities, and background to establish one as an authority in his/her field.
4. Enhances one’s abilities by taking advantage of online courses, webinars, and articles as valuable learning resources.

Other benefits or values in professional life captured from the internet are summarised as follow:

1. Facilitates professional networking: connects professionals across various industries for career growth, mentorship, and business opportunities.
2. Enhances job searching and recruitment: provides a platform for job seekers and recruiters to find and vet potential candidates.
3. Enhances personal branding: allows professionals to build their personal brand by sharing achievements, skills, and expertise.
4. Provides industry insights and learning: offers access to industry news, trends, and insights for continuous skill development.
5. Supports business development: allows businesses to connect with potential clients, partners, and investors.
6. Fosters community and group engagement: allows professionals to connect, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects.
7. Enhances thought leadership: allows professionals to establish themselves as thought leaders, enhancing their reputation and influence.

3.0?? LinkedIn Today: Is the Purpose Defeated?

I struggled to grasp the significance of LinkedIn, since I only used it casually. I continued to use it throughout my master of science degree at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, although I didn't fully appreciate its importance at that time. During my doctoral studies at the Ruhr-Universit?t Bochum in Germany, I found myself captivated by the nature of LinkedIn. At that point, as someone with a deep interest in scientific exploration, I had started to grasp the immense possibilities it held. I utilised it to enhance my professional and career profiles. LinkedIn helped me connect with a wide range of people, from colleagues to friends, whether I knew them well or not. I had a strong presence on LinkedIn with almost 4,000 followers.

In addition, I curated a weekly newsletter where I shared my unique insights as a German PhD returnee. The newsletters included more than ten articles and had gathered over one thousand subscribers. My account was full of energy and vitality. The account displayed a wide variety of recommendations, both given and acknowledged. Unfortunately, my experience as a professor in Morocco was marred by my depression, leading me to deactivate my account.

I decided to close the account after being inspired by the countless success stories and achievements shared by others. It made me reflect on my own experiences in Morocco and feel a sense of personal disappointment. In the city of Laayoune, I felt an intense wave of despair and devastation wash over me. In addition, I have submitted my resignation from my position at the CSIR-SRI back home. In that moment, I realised that I couldn't fully assimilate into the Moroccan system and culture, so I made the decision to go back to my homeland.

There are a lot of people who are currently concerned about LinkedIn and whether or not its purpose has been defeated and whether or not it is still intact. They argue that LinkedIn influencers should focus on providing professional advice and addressing general concerns, rather than discussing topics not typically associated with their profession. Many believe that it's time to reassess the platform's purpose and use it for its intended purpose, despite its professional objectives.

Their worries are ones that I share, at least to some degree. In my own experience, I have noticed that LinkedIn is treated in the same manner as both Facebook and Twitter. The purpose of this is not to diminish the significance of Facebook; nonetheless, it is common knowledge that the content on LinkedIn is presented in a more professional manner than that on Facebook.

There are a lot of posts on Facebook or Twitter that might not be able to pass the tests and standards for admittance necessary to join LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a site that primarily focusses on one's profession and professional network, linking peers and young individuals to employment, opportunities, and project cooperation. This is based on the common history of the platform.

On LinkedIn, I have come across individuals who, after establishing contacts with one another, started working on proposals, and ultimately resulted in the acquisition of a project for ten million dollars from the company. A wide range of content may be found on Facebook, ranging from amusing and casual to openly political. In addition, Facebook may accept or permit younger folks, whereas LinkedIn is known for catering only to professionals, which is where its name comes from Linked PEOPLE IN.

Individuals frequently share images on Facebook, particularly during the celebrations of their birthdays. The contents of Facebook frequently include a big number of pictures by themselves. It is possible for individuals to gain access to the private emails of other people and to send flirty comments, particularly those that are geared at a woman. Once more, it is possible that conflicts over a variety of topics are widespread in threads on Facebook and Twitter. What you see here are not typical of LinkedIn. An individual expressed similar concerns as follow:

Another issue is the problem with direct messages on LinkedIn. In the process of rapidly transforming into Facebook or Tinder, direct messages are becoming a significant issue for both males and females on the app. The subtle art of asking someone how their day was and asking them out is discouraging many individuals from maintaining their subscription on LinkedIn.[2]

Although it is not uncommon to discover people on LinkedIn posting photos that do not align with the purpose of LinkedIn, nor do they aid the job seeker, nor do they likely serve to connect with someone for professional collaborations, it is not rare to find people sharing photos that do not align with LinkedIn's purpose. A fresher who began using LinkedIn remarked:

Because there are not a lot of genuine opportunities accessible, the platform has not been successful in accomplishing its goal of bringing together employers and employees. Because of the large number of posts that are of no use, these opportunities are frequently missed, which is contrary to the goal of the platform.(2)

Additionally, LinkedIn posts have developed into a platform that is solely dedicated to the dissemination of success stories due to its attention-seeking nature. Nevertheless, we must not refrain from celebrating insignificant triumphs, but the platform has caused many to adopt lives that are not true to themselves. Their postings do not provide in-depth assessments of the requirements necessary to attain success or to climb to the top of the hierarchy. On the other hand, they do not offer guidance on how to achieve success. People have a tendency to believe that life is always a success when they read posts like these. As a result, it has evolved into a platform where individuals voluntarily finish courses and upload certificates in exchange for comments and likes.

Numerous individuals have voiced their discontent with LinkedIn, citing the bad influence it has had on their psychological well-being and the fact that it has caused them to experience despair. Some examples of such concerns are as follow:

A college student named Anjali Tripathi has voiced her concerns regarding the inherent toxicity of LinkedIn as well as the platform's potential to become poisonous. According to him, the platform ought not to be maintained in the same manner as other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, which are leading to the proliferation of informal content and the escalation of anxiety problems. One of the things that Tripathi dislikes is the practice of boasting about one's accomplishments, which frequently results in users experiencing unpleasant emotions and worries making them question themselves if they are failures or less achievers.(2)

4.0?? Conclusions and way-forward

LinkedIn, a business and employment platform, was founded in 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly and is owned by Microsoft since December 2016. With over 1 billion registered members from over 200 countries, it offers numerous benefits such as networking, career development, and personal branding. However, there are concerns about its purpose, with some arguing that influencers should focus on providing professional advice rather than discussing topics not typically associated with their profession. LinkedIn has faced criticism for its lack of inclusivity and toxicity, with users sharing personal photos, accessing private emails, and sending flirty comments. Additionally, the platform has become a platform for sharing success stories, leading to unrealistic lives and anxiety problems. To make LinkedIn more useful, career professional, Tom Greenwood, suggests four principles: not being social media, focusing on quality over quantity, sharing interesting content daily, starting meaningful conversations, and accessing LinkedIn only on working days.[3]

Useful references

?[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn. Accessed on the 30 Jul. 24

[2] https://edtimes.in/is-linkedin-becoming-toxic-too/. Accessed on the 30 Jul. 24.

[3] https://www.wholegraindigital.com/blog/is-linkedin-a-waste-of-time/. Accessed on the 30 Jul. 24.