This one needs some accompanying music. Feel free to hum this if you know the words. He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas Day // When the New York Times said, “God is dead // And the war's begun”
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For more than balance, I feel I need to say this. I like the content on LinkedIn more than the content on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snap,… you get the picture.
Years ago, LinkedIn content was sparse and mostly links to Wired signaling to others you read Wired. Which, we all know you didn’t. It was like a dating site, “I like long walks on a beach,” stuff. You displayed the version of you you thought a recruiter would put forward for a job. Then, it got good. Now, it’s beginning to get overrun with inspiration of the day posts and people who hit you up to sponsor their 27-block walk for a charity that super-sizes fries for bulimic aspiring supermodels. And, yeah, even at this increasingly pathetic level it’s still has just enough good content that it still ranks first for my social go-tos.
Recently, LinkedIn has started dropping “suggested” posts into my feed. Yes, again.
They are irrelevant, useless, annoying, sometimes cringey, and I just don’t get them.
Either:
LinkedIn has no data that gives them a clue who I am, what I type there, what I read there, who I follow there, what they do, what I like, or anything else about me.
OR
The LinkedIn algorithm is made out the remnant parts Microsoft found in the one Zune that emerged from a 2012 media time capsule.
There is literally no rhyme or reason to the suggestions. One might be about Slavic HR best practices from a person whose name is spelled with hieroglyphics. The next is Dhaka cricket scores from a Bangladeshi concert promoter. At least that’s what I think they’re about. Half the time, the suggested posts aren’t in English.
None of these people are connected to anyone I know or anyone I’m connected to. It’s not like their Philip’s friend. Or even, connected to Danielle. They’re just random people LinkedIn puts in front me posting about random stuff.
LinkedIn asks for feedback but they don’t want it. It’s not like there’s a more like this or less like this button.
I can’t give LinkedIn’s algo feedback at LinkedIn. Nope, I have to discuss this with their people in public on a different platform.
So, with no other choice, I pinged LinkedIn’s account on Twitter. “What’s up with the suggested posts?” A few hours later, they apologized for showing me posts I couldn’t read. They offered me 10% off a Berlitz class. The whole thing was bizarre. I didn’t even know Berlitz was still a thing. Kinda like Donald Sutherland. Too soon?
The question I keep asking myself is, “Why?”
Why flood my feed with junk that makes it less relevant to me? Why put stuff in there that makes me value the feed less?
They don’t need me to build connections to create a more robust social graph. None of this helps them show me more ads. None of this gives them more data or makes them more money.
It bugged me for days. Maybe longer. Why?
My friend, Philip, is a regular reader. Hi Phil! A long time ago, he had a girlfriend who was as nice as she was chatty. Danielle.
Then I remembered my favorite Danielle story. It was at a beach. She was, as usual, chatting incessantly to one of Philip’s friends. Needing a drink and a break, he turned to her and said, “Keep talking. I’ll be back…,” and walked off.
Danielle didn’t talk to you or hope you’d listen or even reply. She just talked. That’s what LinkedIn is doing. Talking at me.
Then, I remembered… Philip broke up with Danielle. Leave on, brother.
*This was not inspired by Levon Helm. Like, Bernie Taupin, I just liked the name. Sometimes, a song is just a song, and there’s no deeper meaning behind it. The thing is – and in the press I’ve seen ‘the song was inspired by Levon Helm.’ No, it wasn’t. It never was. I just liked the name.”