When you think of the purpose of social media, you might think of personal reasons: to connect with friends, share your life, or stay up to date on current events. Instagram friends, Facebook walls, Twitter threads, and more all have a quality of fun social interaction. But LinkedIn comes from a different angle.
LinkedIn is a social media platform that is mainly used by businesses, employees, and individuals looking for work. It's a platform for people to talk about their qualifications and resumes. Who wouldn't want to do that? The interesting thing about LinkedIn is that, in my experience, nobody wants to use it. They have to, for work, or to grow their portfolio, but it is not used in the same way as other platforms. It is the only social media platform used by businesses, for businesses.
Following the trend of businesses owned by older generations trying to be "hip" and "with it" by posting their advertisements in a way that would reach the youth, LinkedIn feels like a similar strategy. They want people to post their achievements and professional developments, as if work is the most important thing to you. Which it is to some people, and in an effort not to get too philosophical, I'll leave it at that. But it does not meet the checkbox that other platforms meet, of expressing yourself, and showing the fun and happy parts of your life. Rather, it thrives in expressing your professional, financial, and networking successes.
This platform is a different strain of social media and uses an entirely different target market than any other social media. This is a very intriguing indicator of the growth and spread of social media across different industries and aspects of life. There is a social media for family, one for friends, one for dating, and now one for work. I only wonder how social media continues to grow, and what other industries it will be tailored for.
Hi Riley! This is a really interesting perspective, especially how you pointed out that social media has expanded into multiple industries. For example, in the business college, we have a class that teaches us how to prepare and use LinkedIn effectively. In my experience, I have not noticed many advertisements on the platform, so I was surprised when the chapter discussed how frequently ads actually appear on LinkedIn.
ReplyDeleteHey Riley! Great piece to read. I totally agree with you, and I liked your take about how there are platforms for just about every aspect of life now. LinkedIn is great for professional networking and takes a different approach than other platforms!
ReplyDeleteI like your point about LinkedIn feeling more like something people have to use rather than want to use. It’s interesting to think about how it focuses more on professional success instead of personal expression compared to other platforms.
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