Linkedin and the Transformation of Social Networking

Social networks have been shadowing me since I was old enough to use a computer. In elementary school it was Neopets, which hardly counts as a social network, but did give me my first taste of online presence. In my freshman year of high-school, I took my first full step into social networking with a MySpace page, taking full advantage of the customization aspect of the page to show off my identity to the world with Nirvana’s cover of “Man Who Sold the World” blaring over a flower-explosion themed background. I didn’t mind the clutter because MySpace made me feel connected to my friends and to the bands I was so fond of. Towards the end of high-school I joined the migration of young people who, jaded by the bedazzled personalized pages of MySpace, made the switch to Facebook. People have settled into Facebook, it is comfortable and nearly everyone and their Grandma has a page. This comfort is one of many reasons I find it difficult to see anything attractive about Linkedin.

Linkedin advertises itself as a professional social network, but in reality it’s a glorified business card. The ‘about me’ section of a typical social network site is replaced with job history and relevant skills. Friends are now ‘connections’, and your profile picture is most definitely not you chillin’ with your bros. The art of forging connections on Linkedin is more than just pressing an ‘add’ button; you must attach a small note introducing yourself while simultaneously proving to this individual that you are worthy of being a part of their business web. It is the virtual handshake to a connection that may only ever exist on the screen of your computer. I think the reason Linkedin gets under my skin is that it is not a social network, it is a social trial. Your best friend that works at a banana stand is all over your Facebook page with comments and video posts, but on Linkedin, are they a beneficial business connection? You must scrutinize your connections, because their success reflects on your own potential. You become so much more responsible for every keystroke and any comment.

I think the fault in Linkedin lies in it trying to convince a generation of up and coming professionals to be responsible for their online presence. We should be accountable for our online impact, which can already be observed through basic profile etiquette. There are common profile commandments; thou shall not post pictures of thy friends drinking from thy solo cup, thou shall not tolerate posts regarding how ‘bitchin’ that party was, thou shall not present thyself in a manner akin to douchery. But the repercussions of a slip on Facebook and a slip on Linkedin are dramatically different.

Maybe the real root of my resistance to Linkedin is that I do not want to accept that my life path is branching away from the carefree, and into the careful, that I am an adult whether or not I choose to accept it, and am deeply responsible for my actions on and offline. Maybe, Linkedin is part of growing up.