Why LinkedIn is the best social media platform
LinkedIn’s tailoring to the professional world makes it the most practical form of social media. And students shouldn’t shy away from it.
I hadn’t used social media much prior to 2020 for the simple fact that I wasn’t particularly social. This changed when I learned about LinkedIn in early 2020. I was told LinkedIn differed from the other social media platforms because it served a practical purpose and could connect me with users based on relevance to our professional lives, as opposed to just friends. Then the pandemic hit, meaning socializing in-person was no longer an option, pushing me to use LinkedIn to find connections.
LinkedIn’s interface is like other social media apps because you can make posts, connect with other people, see who your mutual connections are, and build a profile.
But it also has differences since LinkedIn is explicitly designed to be used for professional reasons. While apps like Instagram and Facebook can help budding professionals connect, LinkedIn was designed with that sole reason in mind. It allows you to build and show a professional profile to assist you with getting jobs, connecting with like-minded peers, and learn valuable industry insights and skills.
Despite LinkedIn’s unique standing among other social media apps, it is still a social media platform at its core. As such, the platform is criticized for reducing its users’ professional value to how well-curated and impressive their profiles are. The biggest criticism of social media has always been that it makes us anti-social, glued to our devices as we become obsessed with increasing followers or portraying an inauthentic version of ourselves.
LinkedIn is not immune to this very valid criticism. In university, we are surrounded by early-career professionals looking to enter the struggling job market; LinkedIn, with its social-media-like accessibility and ego-boosting features, is a digital environment ripe in inauthentic displays of interest just for the sake of show. There’s more to fostering genuine professional relationships than “connecting on LinkedIn.” In my opinion, many students aren’t equipped with the communication skills necessary for forging long-lasting fruitful connections with people that will boost not only their careers, but their professional character or identity. With this, it’s entirely possible for to prioritize making your LinkedIn profile look good, while the other benefits of professional connections, such as references, mentorships, or sharing knowledge become secondary.
It’s understandable why some may feel that an app like LinkedIn would warp people’s priorities and bring more harm than good. However, not enough students embrace or interact with LinkedIn productively to truly reap its benefits, partly perhaps of the intimidating nature of “professional connections” and “reaching out,” or because individuals treat the app like all other social media apps. LinkedIn may or may not land you your first job, or maybe even your dream job. It may or may not encourage cycles of inauthentic or toxic behaviour. It all depends on how you use the app and what your priorities are.
My experience shows LinkedIn’s benefits as a platform to explore professional networks. I started using LinkedIn during a critical transition period in my life, navigating the new and daunting waters of university fresh out of high school, all backdropped against the pandemic, which was still in full swing. I initially started connecting with people I knew well and reconnecting with people from high school, and it felt rewarding to do this in a time when I couldn’t see them in person.
LinkedIn’s lack of anonymity is another factor in my positive experience. While interactions on X or Instagram can become toxic, LinkedIn’s requirement to use your real name and face discourages some of the toxic tendencies that emerge from burner accounts. In my opinion, LinkedIn users can experience common pros of social media, such as connecting with others, while decreasing the typical cons of cyberbullying or hostile behavior. This requirement creates a sense of accountability, ensuring that users engage more thoughtfully and thus avoiding any insulting or cyberbullying.
Fully engaging in the LinkedIn experience, which is something many students fail at, is about much more than simply setting up a profile, making a few connections, or reposting. Of course, there are ample ways to optimize the LinkedIn experience digitally, but it’s also important to remind ourselves that though our professional lives might start on the app, they don’t have to stay on the app.
Visiting office hours with professors, leveraging personal connections, attending in-person industry and networking events, actively seeking referrals, using UTM’s Career Centre to hone resume and cover letters, and other traditional methods, are just a few ways to ensure that our professional lives happen both online and in-person, reducing the chance of over-dependence on LinkedIn for something as individualized and complex as career success.
