Scroll through LinkedIn for a few minutes and what do you see? I bet a lot of, “I’m thrilled to announce,” and “I’m honored to share” posts. Honestly, one might even be mine — they’re all so similar.
Personally, I love LinkedIn. Showing my successes to future recruiters feels fulfilling. However, I’ve recently noticed a new perspective — one that I didn’t recognize before.
LinkedIn lacks originality. If everyone is “thrilled to announce,” then no one really is.
Let me share a different opinion. I’m not saying LinkedIn is a bad platform – that would be hypocritical of me. LinkedIn is great for many things.
“I use LinkedIn every day to find summer internships and interviewing tips,” said Yazen Abdul-Latif, a BU freshman with more than 500 LinkedIn connections. “It is good for seeking opportunities and connecting with people that are building businesses, collaborations, and initiatives with great potential.”
He’s right. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. More than 1 billion people use it in more than 200 countries, so there are plenty of opportunities to reach recruiters and get noticed.
At the same time, only 1% of these 1 billion users post on a weekly basis. That means, if you post on a regular basis, you’re in the minority – and more likely to get noticed, right?
According to Originality AI, “The release of the popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT at the end of 2022 likely led to a 189% surge in AI usage in LinkedIn posts.” The same source also estimated that 54% of long-form posts on Linkedin are AI generated: “The data shows the consistent and solidified role of AI in LinkedIn posts.”
By posting on LinkedIn, there is a high chance you get noticed by recruiters. But if you scroll on the platform, everyone’s posts sound the same. Is anyone actually standing out?
Posting gives you a chance to stand out, but people are not approaching it correctly. “I feel that Linkedin has become oversaturated by people flaunting their accomplishments, which quickly makes the whole app interface become very superficial,” said Alex McManus, a BU sophomore. “It deters users from being truthful or vulnerable, as we are incentivized to paint ourselves in the best possible light, limiting the amount of individuality within the social media platform.”
Our capitalist society is about climbing the corporate ladder and making enough money to sustain ourselves. But that leaves little space for originality and creativity. LinkedIn certainly proves that.
I am guilty of this conformist sinkhole as well. Look at my LinkedIn — I’m performing. I use AI to imitate perfection and seem flawless, but in reality, it makes me seem robotic.
But now, I’m done trying to appear flawless.
Obviously, I am not saying we should post pictures of our beach vacations and friend groups on LinkedIn. It’s not, and never should never be, Instagram. LinkedIn should be for networking and career advancement.
However, what if we decided to post not just our accomplishments, but our failures and what we learned from them? What if we posted more excerpts of our original work? What if we stop using AI to generate our posts and welcome a little diversity into our writing?
Let’s show personality, admit insecurity, and stop trying to sound suffocatingly impressive.
Everyone is attempting to fit in and be the best. LinkedIn is a microcosm of a wider societal issue. If you stand out, you risk appearing imperfect. But don’t creativity and originality override perfection? Shouldn’t they?
Our lives are so short and we are so consumed with climbing to the top. The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, according to Gettysburg College. That amounts to a third of our lives.
We spend so much time building our careers, yet we seem scared to show individuality within them. That, to me, is scary.
Despite what some may say, LinkedIn isn’t inherently bad. Superficiality arises when we used the platform improperly. Let’s stop aiming for perfection and start embracing individuality.
Work cultures push people to conform, and LinkedIn proves that. Honestly, it is easier to stand out than most people think. All you have to do is stop trying to fit in.
Ava is a passionate social-butterfly pursuing a career in journalism. She is excited to continue using her empathy and love for writing to give people a voice.
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