On LinkedIn

In the everlasting spirit of keeping things petty here, let’s talk about LinkedIn. How many times have I had people I’ve barely known ask if I could “connect” (what a repulsive word) on that abomination of a site and I felt every shred of respect leave my body. LinkedIn needs to be mocked mercilessly for its assumption that our worth as humans is solely tied to the work we’ve done. It needs to be ridiculed for how it functions as a platform for people to continually debase themselves in public. So what is it? What is it that makes the most normal person you know get “beyond excited” to tell the world about their leadership skills or be “thrilled” (seriously, do people even know what this word means?) to explain how they “create value”. The most honest answer given to me when I asked a friend was that having an account makes it easier to stalk other people on LinkedIn. At least that’s a noble cause.

Few things are more icky than people using social media to write motivational quotes and reposting company posts in order to show how much they love their new job. It just doesn’t matter, so close your account and find platforms where people get to know you as something more than the number of connections you have (if that’s what is important on LinkedIn). Don’t become a career.