Little disclaimer: I purposely formatted parts of this article to read like LinkedIn posts because I think it’s funny and stupid.
I’ve been on LinkedIn for probably eight years at this point, and each year I start to realize I hate it more and more.
At first, it was great. People would post jobs and comment on each other’s posts congratulating them on a new job, and it felt like a closer network. That’s how it was whenever I first started out on it. I started out at the bottom of the barrel when it came to technology sales, and as I grew my network, I made new connections.
Then I started to realize, and it may just be that LinkedIn changed, but I started to realize I hate this app. It’s so performative. There are so many things people are posting on it that seriously do not need to be posted. And I get it. Some people need a network. Some people need to put their name out there. But to me, it’s just not it.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize I don’t care for the theatrics of it. I don’t care for the stupid posts. I don’t care for the pat yourself on the back type of content that fills my feed every day. Don’t misconstrue this with the actual posts of people who are proud of themselves. It’s very easy to identify which posts are for show and which ones are genuine.
I’ll give you a specific example.
A few weeks ago I was on LinkedIn, and somebody that works at a company I used to work at, which is a small company so we have a lot of mutual connections, posted something comparing being a pilot to sales. Something about how a pilot has its ups and downs just like sales.
I remember reading it and thinking, “This is just fucking stupid.”
At this point you’re just grabbing onto anything you can grab onto just so you have something to post.
And I get it.
Social media is social media. The more you post, the more people interact. The more people comment, the more your posts get pushed out. The more followers you get, the more interactions you get. Eventually you can join some partner program or become an influencer or whatever the goal is.
I understand the business model behind it.
I’m not shitting on the business model.
I’m shitting on the fact that I’m on it and I can’t wait to get off of it.
At this point in my career, it’s not that I need to be on it every day, but I’m on it because it shows presence. It backs up what I do. I’m an executive at my company, and the owner of the company and I occasionally post about jobs, growing into a new market, or exciting things happening at our company. He posts way more than I do. I know he doesn’t like that I’m not as active on it, but oh well. I’m not a social media manager.
Outside of that, I don’t really post. If some of my friends get promoted, I’ll comment and congratulate them, but for the most part I’m not active on it. I’ve actually told our company marketing team that I don’t want them using my LinkedIn account for automated posts or automated outreach for potential sales. I told them no because I don’t want to be known for that. I’ve recently started removing connections on there, so I’d be doing the exact opposite if I let the marketing team take over it.
The funny thing is I’ve never really been someone who enjoys posting on social media, which is honestly part of the reason I started this blog. Writing here feels different. LinkedIn doesn’t.
Not all of LinkedIn is bad, though. I will say that the job hunting on there, in my experience, has been successful. Not necessarily because I’ve gotten a job directly from a LinkedIn posting, but because I’ve been exposed to companies that were hiring. Then I could go directly to that company’s website and apply there. That’s been valuable.
I also genuinely enjoy seeing when my friends get promoted. That part makes me happy. I’ll still support our clients, especially our nonprofit clients. Sometimes I’ll share one of their posts because it might help them reach more people or bring in more donations. That part I don’t mind.
Everything else, I could honestly do without.
Maybe it isn’t even LinkedIn that I don’t care for. I understand it. It’s business social media. I understand why it exists, and I understand why I have to be on it. When someone searches me online, they can see I’ve been with my company for years. They can see my title. They can see that I’m actually who I say I am. It gives credibility, and I understand that. It’s actually a good thing.
I look back on my own profile while writing this, and this year alone I’ve posted three times. I know I have one more post I’ll probably have to make, and honestly that’ll probably be it unless something exciting happens at our company.
I think that’s because I’m already mentally checked out from the platform.
I can’t wait for the day that it’s not needed anymore. The day that I can delete the app, delete the account, and never really have to think about it again because it’s just not something I care for.
Not because I hate my career.
Not because I hate my job.
But because you’re no longer working from a place of, “I need this job.”
You’re working from a place where you choose to work.
Where you choose the opportunities you want.
Where you don’t need LinkedIn to prove who you are anymore.
But scrolling through endless performative posts pretending to be inspirational business advice…
I just don’t care anymore.
I can’t wait for the day that I delete LinkedIn.
Not because I failed.
Not because I lost my job.
Not because I gave up on my career.
But because I finally built a life where I don’t need it anymore.
-J