The generation that grew up with social media is now about to enter into the professional world. So what have we done? We’ve found a new social media to fit this new era of our lives – LinkedIn. Another way to share everything we do and appease the overwhelming need to constantly know what everyone else is doing.
LinkedIn feels like when the teacher would hand tests back, and everyone would start asking what you got. You don’t have to say what you’ve got. But immediately there comes that pressure – if I don’t declare what I got, people will think it’s because I’m embarrassed about a bad grade. It’s that same situation of feeling pretty good about your 92%, only to find out everyone else managed to get a 97%. Academic competition and comparison are back; except this time, it actually matters, and it’s public for the entire world to see.
We are a generation constantly needing to share, and are fixated on how our image is perceived by others. While having a LinkedIn account now is important when applying for jobs for career employers to see, we haven’t simply made an account and walked away. We constantly update and scroll reading paragraph after paragraph about how people are “thrilled to announce” this… or ”incredibly thankful for the wonderful team that made their experience at X so profound.”
While I think our generation’s obsession with our public image and need to constantly share is problematic, I do think the platform can encourage ambition and establish connections, creating a space where you can congratulate and encourage your friends. I personally find it inspiring to see what my friends are actually up to over their summers or which career paths they’ll still be slaving away at in ten years.
Yet, sometimes, I do wonder how much the platform is providing motivation, or rather creating stress through comparison as our personal successes and failures become public. At the stage where everyone is just trying to figure out which path they want to follow, it is easy to feel as though you are already one step behind. Once again, it has become another daily reminder that we are not enough. And yet, we keep coming back, day after day.
“Linkedin Office” by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine is marked with CC0 1.0.