I’m ready to speak my truth: 

I like LinkedIn. Actually, I love LinkedIn. 

It might just be a symptom of summer internship season, but it appears as though the platform is emerging as the new Facebook, which has faded into the background of updates on your parent’s long-lost classmates’ family and your grandmother’s cat. Already saturated with older working professionals, LinkedIn has a promising future in the social media networking world as it appeals more and more to young people. 

Despite the massive size, it favorably lacks the fake news, trolls and click bait that we are familiar with (though I do still get those bot-type friend requests that people despise). Just like face-to-face networking, the atmosphere of LinkedIn is actually quite friendly while also being productive. 

LinkedIn is a media refuge. I feel safe linking with the girl I had Spanish class with freshman year of high school without it being weird. Additionally, I have found the alumni network to be incredibly vast. Meaningless connections with people you don’t know on social media websites do nothing. Having REAL connections with people that you actually meet – whether it be virtual or in person – well, that’s everything. I think it’s much better to reach out to someone saying, “hey, found it on LinkedIn” than, “hey, found you on the internet after doing a deep dive in which I found you through an extensive google search.” 

Does LinkedIn normalize netstalking? I would say no; you can’t stalk the boy your friend kissed at the Jug without your name popping up in the viewers section. 

On most social media platforms, you can be a jerk with little consequence. While it may cause a loss of followers and a plethora of hate comments, users continue to corrode the network’s tone. This corrosion is not to say other social media platforms lack relevance; I had an embarrassing amount of recorded screen time on Instagram just last week. Rather, it is about a new form of performance media on these platforms in which people are creating content to reach an audience of people that they might not even know (thus the prevalence of influencers). 

Just like the dear, old form of social media, LinkedIn lacks the loudness of these now influencers. It truly demonstrates how you can keep people informed about relevant, popular news without wrecking society. 

Unlike the fabrications of Instagram and Snapchat in which users post their perfect vacations and perfect candid photos with friends, LinkedIn is the real deal, people. There is no performing on LinkedIn (as much as I would like to pretend I secured that big publication internship in the city). Have I reached the sacred 500 connections mark yet? No. Have I accomplished anything close to getting a job on LinkedIn thus far? The answer is also no. However, it is super exciting to stalk the successes of others! So much so that my morning TikTok scroll has suddenly morphed into a morning LinkedIn scroll. Is this normal or have I turned into a middle-aged businessman? It makes sense to put up professional information in a professional environment (LinkedIn), however some of the developments have been reminiscent of social media like Instagram and Snapchat. For instance, LinkedIn will tell me to wish one of my connections a happy birthday and I’ll say, why not? 

LinkedIn’s feed has interesting information, but nothing feels too pressing. Although, the influx of 2024 investment banking posts has been giving me a slight twinge of anxiety. As a whole, however, a slowed-down social media environment like LinkedIn, as counterintuitive as it may seem, tends to be a better experience and healthier for society. In my unpopular opinion, even though I have heard from many of my peers that their LinkedIn feeds fill them with fear for their own professional trajectories, I find it rather inspiring. 

I saw my first LinkedIn meme today during one of my scrolls. It wasn’t about Rhianna’s halftime show or a Kardashian; rather it was something a little bit more intellectually stimulating: capitalism! Some users tend to criticize LinkedIn for “facebook-ifying” their look and usage, however, with the increased presence of celebrity gossip and silly advertisements on social media, I much prefer to romanticize the business world.