[rnts08]

We absolutely need a better platform for professional networking. A platform that's not filled with people who dislocate their shoulders trying to pat themselves on the back for some "inspirational" social media babble about the last time they managed to send an email.

[lvncelot]

I won't disagree about the state of LinkedIn, but doesn't the content just come with the territory? In my experience, people who "network" for networking's sake the most are exactly the type of people who self-congratulate and humble brag, so you're bound to get exactly this type of content on a platform that's entirely networking-focused.

[xnorswap]

If linkedIn stuck to showing you posts from people you're connected to, it wouldn't be so bad.

But when half your feed is engagement bait or "inspirational" posts fed by algorithm under a "Suggested posts" banned, then it gets worse.

[bitcharmer]

But LinkedIn wasn't like that 10 years ago. It was what it was meant to be. To me it feels like TikTok culture infesting all types of social media.

At this point LI is beyond saving but a serious competitor would have to be heavily moderated to stay clean which we all know won't happen.

[bee_rider]

It is the result of most of the content on the site being posted by people who’d use LinkedIn while they weren’t, like, actively looking for a job.

[mandmandam]

God it really is heinous.

However, I don't think it's a consequence of the platform, but of work culture. People are like that because it works, and it works because we're deep, deep into a headlong rush toward annihilation in the name of profit.

The people profiting from destroying every public good - peace, pollution-free air and water and soil, housing, healthcare, etc etc - own basically everything. Our politicians, our media, our military. It's been this way for a long time.

Speaking up against this isn't what most people want to hear. It's uncomfortable - and a distraction from short-term survival. There are no easy answers. It's not a message you'll ever hear amplified on corporate media, and it doesn't fit well into a soundbite or tweet.

There's an ocean of subtle and not-so-subtle messaging across every type of media telling you not to look behind the curtain. There are very real consequences for doing so in a way that gets peoples attention.

LinkedIn rewards superficiality over substance because our society does, workplace culture especially so. Professional posturing is a byproduct of a system that commodifies everything: even authenticity, even revolution.

Essentially, our 'hearts and minds' have been hacked, in every possible way.

That said, if you have any good ideas on how a different platform could change that I'd love to hear them.

[mondrian]

Relatively speaking, Instagram and Twitter are far more interesting than LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a special kind of horrible.

[konschubert]

> deep into a headlong rush toward annihilation in the name of profit.

Poverty, illness and starvation are the default state of mankind and the fact that almost nobody lives in deep poverty any more is because people get up in the morning and work hard to produce value.

[BlueTemplar]

It wouldn't, it will get enshittified too (see GP's issues with GitHub too), you have to go look beyound platforms.

(Well, I guess Hacker News remains an exception for now, due to a very specific model and circumstances I guess ?)

[janalsncm]

The issue isn’t just LinkedIn, it happens on all social networks I’m aware of. Take your account down for vague “violations” and make it nearly impossible to speak with anyone with common sense. Franz Kafka would be proud.

[bigfatkitten]

I use LinkedIn as a contact list and as a way to find jobs, but I cannot stand the 'content'.

I unfollow everyone I'm connected with just so I don't have to see any of it when I have the misfortune of having to log in.

[mrweasel]

LinkedIn starts to feel a little like Facebook years back. If you don't "engage" with the platform it will start throwing random posts at you.

Personally I think the shit posting started because people where not getting any reaction of Facebook anymore, after it turned into an algorithm driven ad pumping engine from hell. People want their posts read by other humans, and LinkedIn is the last place where this is actually happening. It's just that some people, especially those in marketing, online retail, management and HR absolutely suck at communication.

LinkedIn is great as a contact list and for job hunting, if you're a technical person. The same shit posting marketing people can't even sell themselves. If you have two people posting that they are looking for a job, and one it technical and the other is marketing or HR related, you'll see a clear different. The technical person can have multiple interviews lines up in hours, the marketing person will get comments like "Repost", "Someone has to know someone" or "Hire X, their great", but no one actually have a job.

[DebtDeflation]

Same. I treat LI as a host for my CV and as a job board. Zero interest in it as a content publishing platform or social networking platform.

[ulfw]

We never 'needed' a damn feed on Linkedin in the first place

I get updates from daughters fights with cancer of people I don't know. I don't need to see this on a 'professional' network. Not sure why people post such intimate private things.

[sulandor]

some ppl distinguish between professional and personal lives, most don't

[janalsncm]

You’re being downvoted but you’re right. The feed is really just a vehicle to deliver ads. The content I see there is almost entirely garbage. I only use my profile and the ability to DM with recruiters and maybe the jobs board.

[unixhero]

LinkedIn is awful