The Psychology Behind LinkedIn

Have you LinkedIn? So is it an algorithm that works to land you in your dream job? Or does it cause a glitch in your mind? Does it give you an edge? Or do you feel on edge always? Let’s dive deeper into the psychological nuances of networking, career building, business, competition and mental health.

LinkedIn Legacy

As we all know LinkedIn is the world’s largest platform for connecting professionals across the world. This professional social networking platform has been around more than Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram! Linkedin was launched in 2003 and now it boasts to have one billion users across 200 countries. LinkedIn reports that it sees two new members join every second! For freshers, it’s a golden gate that opens up after college to a whole new world filled with opportunities. And for entrepreneurs, it offers the space to easily hire, promote and scale their business.

The Bright Side of LinkedIn

Unemployment is still a pressing issue even in the world’s largest economies. Unemployment in simple terms means people who aren’t working now but are actively searching for a job. They suffer financially with no job to manage the ever-rising cost of living. Employment gives societal position, financial stability and identity which is crucial for mental health.

Read More: The Psychology behind Financial Stability

Underemployed and unemployed people feel frustrated and hopeless and their self-esteem drops. Many studies have concluded that unemployment directly causes mental suffering and people develop anxiety, panic and depression. These mental health problems are because of factors like increased competition, joblessness and the inability to practice the acquired skills.

LinkedIn steps in to bridge this gap by connecting recruiters and job seekers with just a click. Job seekers can upload their resumes sitting comfortably on their couch on LinkedIn. The LinkedIn ‘easy apply’ option which allows them to apply to any job openings posted there. It also suggests jobs that might suit them based on their profile. It sure does help in mitigating the stress people endure while they get into the arduous task of job hunting.

There are over 35000 skills listed on LinkedIn. Sales, operations and engineering are the top jobs available to pick from it. Content creation has seen a rising trend with a 49% increase in LinkedIn. This plethora of options available gives hope to many graduates and non-graduates as well. The ‘jobs for you’ feature has helped 4 million people to get jobs. And there are at least 14 million open jobs on LinkedIn!

Remote job postings have increased 2.5 times after the pandemic. New moms, differently abled individuals and retired people find these remote opportunities as a great chance to continue working at their own pace and build their confidence and self-worth. Recent statistics say, 49% of LinkedIn users earn $70000 or more per annum.

LinkedIn for Business and Marketing

The start-up world is full of uncertainties and these uncertain outcomes make an entrepreneur stressed and anxious. Research reported that 72% of founders struggle with mental health. LinkedIn is one good way to take your product or service directly to consumers.

A total of nearly 55 million companies are listed on LinkedIn. LinkedIn caters to all kinds of business folks to start a new business, expand existing brands, or personal branding. For starters, creating an appealing business page on LinkedIn with attractive images, taglines, a clear mission statement, and proper keywords or hashtags can grab the attention of potential clients or employees. Networking is crucial for any business and LinkedIn communities and groups help find like-minded professionals to share industry knowledge. LinkedIn ads are extremely helpful in reaching the target audience and can influence purchase decisions.

Read More: Should you Quit your Job for your Mental Health Reasons? : Psychologist Speaks

Psychological Factors involved in using LinkedIn

• Professional identity: People strive to build a portfolio that stands out. Personal branding is important to get a competitive advantage. It also serves the purpose of reputation building and management.
• Healthy competition: LinkedIn fosters a healthy competition where one can see their peers and people in their field and learn more.
• Connections: Building a good network makes business more effective and this social capital makes career advancement much easier. Developing and maintaining a good professional network affects one’s psychological well-being positively. Heartily congratulating your peers makes it a positive ground for giving and gaining motivation and appreciation. These meaningful professional connections give a sense of belonging in this vast market space, Doesn’t it?

Patterns of behaviour seen on LinkedIn

• Interact: Users can view and follow their peers and even their role models in business. They can gain access to expert knowledge through the articles and posts shared.
• News and Updates: the kind of information they consume while scrolling LinkedIn directly has effects on their thinking and actions. For example, a news predicting possible inflation changes the user’s perspective.
• Sharing knowledge freely: One can post educative content like infographics and videos regarding the industry to spread awareness and also to gather attention to their brand.
• Engaging consistently: Users click the like button and leave comments to show their support to their peers virtually. Offering professional help or guidance to others makes one a good mentor whom beginners will look up to.

LinkedIn Vs Mental Health

Compare and Despair:

LinkedIn becomes a space for social comparison which has a more detrimental effect on our mental health. According to psychologist Leon Festinger’s ‘social comparison theory’ people naturally compare and assess themselves in comparison with others. It could either be an upward comparison: Comparing with people we believe to be superior to us or a downward comparison- comparing with people who are worse off than us. LinkedIn often puts us in a situation of upward comparison which makes us feel inadequate and insecure. Gradually over-usage may lead to people to suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’-

• Believing that everyone knows more than you.
• Dismissing your success and credit your achievements as pure luck or other’s poor judgement.

Harmful Hustle Culture

The prevalence of hustle culture everywhere becomes even more evident on LinkedIn. Every minute your phone chimes with a new notification saying someone’s company made huge profits or someone got a promotion. These constant professional updates about others may push you to work harder to get ahead often at the expense of physical and mental health.

Unreasonable expectations of oneself, constant peer pressure, the pressure to curate an impeccable digital professional resume, glamorizing success and hiding failures all make LinkedIn just another social media platform that you have to use healthily. Be mindful of whom you connect with and limit your feed to what you would like to see. Do not compare yourself with others rather celebrate your small milestones proudly. And if it becomes overwhelming, take a digital detox and come back when you feel like better.

Glad you could connect! Share this with your LinkedIn lunatic friends and tell them it’s okay to pause and slow down.