Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Monday, Apr 21, 2025

How LinkedIn is changing and why some are not happy

How LinkedIn is changing and why some are not happy

Social media is where we project a version of ourselves. And a pensive Dan Kelsall is nothing like his rowdy character on LinkedIn, the social media platform famously tagged "Facebook for suits".

In the online world the co-founder of Manchester marketing firm Offended makes sure his business lives up to its name. His posts stick out for the prevalence of profanity and no holds barred humour.

Offended specialises in guerrilla marketing, turning the world of corporate messaging and polished branding upside down. As the irreverent Mr Kelsall puts it: "We don't just get our own ads banned, we get ads banned for our clients too."

With 900 million of the world's professionals registering their personal CV and career attainments on the site, LinkedIn has become a valuable resource for head-hunters and human resources departments.

But over the last three years or so, this once staid community billboard of career updates and business launches has seen a change in tone.

Many posts have become more personal, featuring the emotional backstories of its members with accounts of childhood influences and admissions of failings and frailties.

This is a far cry from the hard-sell approach beloved of many corporate players and not everyone is happy. Critics murmur that these posts are more suited to the weekend musings of Facebook or the raucous tone of Twitter.

So what has triggered this change? According to Mr Kelsall, boredom with corporate marketing is one culprit.

It's hard to imagine, but Mr Kelsall once worked as a copywriter for a tax software firm, producing "some of the driest things I've written". He may not have enjoyed this time, but it did give him an insight into what pulls in readers.

"Consumers are less and less trusting of big brands. People are tired of boring marketing.

"The skill is to speak like your audience and be relatable to your audience. I've been on LinkedIn for seven years and I've got 66,000 followers. That's a really engaged audience."

Working from home during the pandemic brought home life into contact with work


Parry Headrick founded Massachusetts public relations business Crackle. He attributes his entire client base to introductions via LinkedIn. There his followers learn about his penurious childhood and his own children's lives.

It's not to everyone's taste, though. One LinkedIn user responded to his disclosures with: "Nice story. It doesn't belong on LinkedIn."

Mr Headrick disagrees. "Engagement is about telling a compelling story. Your parents didn't read you a press release at bedtime, they read you stories. I try to give an insight into who I am if you work with me."

He is scathing about the effort businesses put into "company pages on LinkedIn that get no engagement", pointing out that human tales work. "It's the personal element that engenders trust."

Mr Headrick sees his personal pronouncements as "part of a broader shift away from corporate speak".

So what changed to make businesses so informal? Azadeh Williams thinks she knows.

Speaking from the Sydney offices of her media and marketing company, AZK Media, she explains why she shares updates about her six-year-old daughter. "I was a journalist for 20 years and I can spot marketing rigmarole and a contrived script. You have to be your crude, authentic self to attract your audience."

She wouldn't have posted this material a few years ago, but with the pandemic Zoom meetings intruded into the domestic space. This has changed everything. "Before Covid families didn't exist for your work colleagues. Now they've seen the families and it makes us more interesting."

Covid changed LinkedIn, according to Azadeh Williams


She believes that while LinkedIn has evolved from being the home of CVs, many users retain the mindset that it's just a digital job interview.

Douglas Rode runs recruitment giant Page Group in the UK and Ireland. As LinkedIn is such an important tool in his world how does he view its new incarnation? "Even five years ago people didn't open up so much. Now there's greater awareness of people's vulnerabilities such as mental health and LinkedIn has magnified this."

As a job-hunting expert would he advise someone to bare their soul there? His response is very qualified. "It's a matter of individual choice. You are putting yourself out there so a future employer can see you. You're trying to get a balance and you want to sound human, not generic or automated."

Others are more pointed. Tom Skinner, of London marketing agency Go Up, fears LinkedIn's new emotional tone is merely a symptom of celebrity culture and "a society that celebrates people who can self-publicise above all else".

LinkedIn has a 200-strong team working on stories primed to attract attention and involvement, all grist to the mill of recruiting companies that pay it for the right to scour the CVs of its members.

Dan Roth says LinkedIn does not encourage more personal posts


Dan Roth, Editor in Chief at LinkedIn, denies cultivating controversy to pull in readers. "We use algorithms to determine the right content for you but we do not steer people in one direction."

He too credits the pandemic with the shift in attitudes. "People found they got remarkable feedback when they talked about their mental health." He sets great store by LinkedIn users being identifiable in contrast to anonymous contributions on Twitter. Yet despite this public profile many members are unaware of how cringeworthy their stories can be.

Braden Wallake rushed to LinkedIn when he made two staff at his Ohio company redundant in August 2022, boasting of how "vulnerable" he felt when making this decision. He even adorned the post with a tearful selfie.

The first response to his post was a single word. "Muppet."

Furthermore, he was rewarded with the online title, The Crying CEO, and became the poster boy for what behavioural insights expert Helen Jambunathan calls the "LinkedIn cringe".

Ms Jambunathan says LinkedIn's algorithms reward posts that provoke engagement, even if this dilutes its recruitment industry origins. "LinkedIn is becoming more personal and generalised, and less about 'work' as we know it."

This trend comes from the top. Research group Kekst CNC analysed the LinkedIn profiles of chief executives across the UK, US, Germany and Sweden, noting that 77% of them post personal content.

Maybe the "Facebook for suits" is fine with its new knockabout tone. And the louder the criticism, the more people listen.

Back in Manchester Mr Kelsall is relaxed about making the odd enemy. "Sometimes you need detractors as much as you need fans."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Removing the Political Rival Means Diminishing What's Remaining of Turkey's Economy
White House Investigates Security Breach After Journalist Accidentally Added to Secret Yemen Strike Chat
UAE Pledges $1.4 Trillion Investment Strategy in the United States
Revealing the Electromagnetic Characteristics of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Netanyahu Dismisses Shin Bet Chief Amid 'Loss of Trust' and 'Qatargate' Corruption Investigations Involving Netanyahu's Advisors
U.S. Approves $100 Million Precision Rocket Sale to Saudi Arabia Amid Ongoing Yemen Conflict
High-ranking ISIS Official Neutralized in Collaborative Operation in Iraq
Netanyahu Rejects UN Reports on Gaza as 'Untrue'
Six Americans Freed from Detention in Kuwait
Syria Wraps Up Military Campaign Amid Extensive Violence and Large-Scale Killings.
Trump Speaks Out on the Arrest of Pro-Palestinian Student at Columbia University
Demonstrations Break Out as Individual Ascends Big Ben with Palestinian Flag
Over 300,000 Refugees Expected to Return to Syria Amid Ongoing Crisis
Trump Urges Nuclear Talks with Iran as Tensions Escalate
US Launches AI Initiative to Track Foreign Nationals' Social Media for Terrorist Support.
US Initiates Direct Discussions with Hamas During Hostage Situation
US Government Dismisses Arab Leaders' Plan for Gaza Reconstruction
US Engages in Unprecedented Covert Talks with Hamas Regarding Hostages
Arab Leaders Approve $53 Billion Initiative for Gaza Reconstruction
Iran's Enriched Uranium Stockpile Reaches Levels for Six Nuclear Devices
Israel Indicates Willingness to Resume Military Operations in Gaza
Hamas Lets Go of Last Israeli Hostage as Part of Ceasefire Deal
Trump Adjusts Gaza Resettlement Plan Following Rejections from Regional Leaders
The negotiation teams of Trump and Putin meet directly, establishing the groundwork for a significant advance.
Israeli Minister Urges Hamas to Surrender and Depart from Gaza.
Iran Considers Moving Its Capital Due to Urban Difficulties
Israel and Hamas Finalize Sixth Exchange of Hostages and Prisoners During Continuing Gaza Ceasefire
Leaders of BRICS to Gather in Rio de Janeiro for July Summit
Muhsin Hendricks, a trailblazing openly gay imam, was killed in South Africa.
Trump's special envoy for hostage affairs cautions Hamas against challenging Trump before Saturday's deadline.
Two British citizens apprehended in Iran amid escalating tensions.
Israel Issues Threat of Military Action as Hostage Negotiations with Hamas Continue
Hamas Coordinates Worldwide Solidarity Marches in Reaction to U.S. and Israeli Initiative
Israel Warns of Ending Gaza Ceasefire Due to Hostage Situation
King Abdullah II Dismisses US Proposal to Relocate Palestinians, Commits to Welcoming Gaza Children.
Lebanon Installs New Government with Hezbollah's Impact on Key Ministries
Report: Iran Attempted to Assassinate Trump During Election Campaign
U.S. Authorizes $7.4 Billion Arms Sale to Israel
Iran's Supreme Leader Rejects Nuclear Negotiations with the U.S.
UN Chief Denounces Trump's Gaza Plan, Cautions Against Ethnic Cleansing
Pressure Intensifies for a Free Trade Agreement between the UK and GCC in Light of Economic Difficulties
Israel to Withdraw from UN Human Rights Council Due to Accusations of Anti-Semitism
EU Reaffirms Gaza's Essential Role in Future Palestinian State Following Trump's Proposal
Iranian Currency Reaches All-Time Low Amid US 'Maximum Pressure' Initiative.
UN Reaffirms Ban on Deportation from Occupied Territories Amid US Gaza Proposal
Palestinians Fear Repeat of 'Nakba' Amid Ongoing Crisis in Gaza
×