Things that go viral on LinkedIn are also more likely to be progressive and positive. Among the most popular posts in 2022 were “stop undervaluing exceptional women” and “quiet people in meetings are incredible”.
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When you compare LinkedIn to the often vitriolic cesspool that frames engagement on Twitter, the privacy-invading misinformation served up by Facebook, or the “body positive” influencers on Instagram spruiking teeth whitening products – all of a sudden you accidentally find yourself on LinkedIn hanging out with earnest but pleasant Gary from HR.
It also comes down to just how much time we spend online.
Users only spend about 17 minutes per month on LinkedIn. Facebook users spend an average of 19 hours on the site, and it’s 5 hours per month for Twitter.
Could it be that people just aren’t meant to talk to one another and digitally engage for several hours a month? When it comes to in-person interactions, I would never spend 19 hours a month in an environment where I have to put up with often hateful, ill-informed comments and inappropriate behaviour.
Sure, some people are insightful and witty online. Funny cat videos continue to be shared. But it does little to negate awful things happening, like the time a far-right provocateur made a video encouraging an online mob of angry racists to target and threaten me. Or the former shock jock who screen grabs my tweets (and tweets from other women in media and politics) only to write defamatory blogs and spread lies about us. The result? More death threats and sexualised hate. To be clear, I really like cats. I just hate fearing for my safety more.
The one downside to LinkedIn is you do need to dress up. Credit: Peter Morris
People on LinkedIn are far less toxic and abusive, probably because the site provides a direct link to their employer and many users are on the lookout for their next job. But I’m perfectly happy to see a curated and a more upbeat version of an individual, especially if their “authentic self” is a cranky, bigoted jerk.
LinkedIn is also not immune from fake accounts and spam. People from the Netherlands message me to congratulate me on my “illustrious dentistry career” and ask if I know of any dental assistant jobs in Amsterdam.
I especially love receiving messages calling me Cameron and asking for help getting a visa to Australia. But hey, I get called far worse on other platforms, where I’m routinely told to “go back to where I come from”. Which is Auburn.
It says a lot about the state of social media (and a little about me) that I suddenly find myself enjoying an app which is the equivalent of a medium-sized meeting room designed in 2003. But it’s been a process of elimination. I’ve learnt that being safe – yet self-congratulatory – for around 17 minutes a month is the path of least destruction.
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