As the social media landscape continues to change and many academics migrate away from Twitter, LinkedIn has become an increasingly popular platform and is considered an essential tool by many academics.discuss Recent the tendency to share images and stories that highlight vulnerabilities on the platform; Shani Olgado We explore whether this signals a new culture of self-promotion or a broader critique of working life.
Leena Youssefi, a top lawyer and CEO of a Canadian law firm, shared a personal post about the debilitating symptoms of pregnancy. Alongside a photo of her lying in bed with one hand on her forehead and the other on her stomach, she wrote:
“I have to put on my work clothes and lie in bed before going to work in the morning, unable to move, think or function. I wake up with chronic depression, nausea, and an aversion to everything. I continue to experience feelings of discomfort, disabling migraines, a sense of numbness to the world, and a lack of well-being.”
Youssefi's post is just one example of how more people are sharing their pain and vulnerability on social media. This goes hand-in-hand with the rise of the 0.5 selfie, the popularity of the BeReal photo-sharing app, and the recent rise in cultural and commercial emphasis on 'authenticity' and rejection of the pursuit of perfection, seen in 'Things I'. There is a tendency to It's embarrassing to admit that TikTok is trending.
However, perhaps where do not have I hope to find more posts like Yousefi. LinkedIn is the world's largest professional online network with 830 million users.
In fact, LinkedIn has consistently set itself apart from platforms like Instagram and TikTok by emphasizing a “strictly business-oriented” focus on professional networking, encouraging users to share their skills, strengths, proficiency, and “best-in-class” focus on professional networking. ” We teach students to emphasize their professional self. Some of LinkedIn's guides offer advice on the “best” “business smiles” for members' professional headshots.
But in contrast to this self-promotional imperative, LinkedIn users seem to be posting more frequently about their vulnerabilities, failures, and struggles these days. What kind of posts are users actually publishing? And what is the impact of this apparent vulnerability on professional networking platforms? By analyzing posts about personal experiences such as overwork, stress, burnout, layoffs, workplace discrimination, bullying, anxiety, and depression, I identified three main “genres.”
Victory over tragedy
The posters share their weaknesses, highlight how they overcame them, and have since achieved self-growth. Some users post their “perfect” professional headshots alongside “real” and “vulnerable” images of themselves. For example, a selfie where you intentionally make it look like you're exhausted, or a photo where you're lying in bed with dark circles under your eyes. These images are often accompanied by motivational statements that emphasize the importance of embracing vulnerability and confidence. Vulnerability here is a vector of resilience. As long as the person overcomes the vulnerable 'phase' and becomes a confident and resilient professional through the use of individualized and psychologized tools, it can be celebrated.
snap
These posts (similar to Yousefi's) focus on the breaking point when users “go nuts”, when they are able to cope with a toxic overwork culture, and when they are no longer willing to deal with it (most I use “she” because I identify the poster as a woman). Snap posts often include images of posters in tears, along with passages urging readers to “listen to themselves” and forgive themselves for being vulnerable, or in the hospital. This is reinforced by photos (often selfies) of posters wearing gowns and connecting with others. Medical equipment.
Until recently, these images have become increasingly important in platforms and workplace cultures where presenting oneself as healthy, successful, productive, independent, passionate, and confident was paramount. It's a pretty fundamental breakthrough. These bring to light situations and experiences that are often silenced and invisible in the workplace. They bring to the fore the vulnerability and pain of the working environment, primarily encouraging workers to hide or deny any signs of vulnerability or risk losing their jobs.
Destructive comments about self-promotion
Posts in this genre generally tend to use subversive and often playful language and formats to criticize the pressure to constantly promote and brand ourselves, especially on LinkedIn. Some posts employ exaggerated phrases often used in self-promotional messages on LinkedIn to celebrate professional accomplishments. For example, if you start with, “I'm truly honored and humbled to announce this” or “I'm so excited to share this news…” and continue, you can write a post rather than a professional accomplishment. The person announces that this is what is happening now. You may be unemployed, furloughed, or have your job application rejected and have no idea what your immediate or long-term future holds. These posts highlight the harmful demands and pressures of self-promotion culture and are a sarcastic nod to his LinkedIn's responsibility in this unforgiving culture.
Posting vulnerabilities: criticism or a repetition of self-promotional culture?
At first, posting about your vulnerabilities on LinkedIn may seem at odds with LinkedIn's essence of self-promoting your professional strengths, skills, and accomplishments. But in some ways, vulnerability has become a reiteration of digital self-promotion. Posts about vulnerabilities tend to get more attention, likes, shares, and comments, and as a result, he gets promoted by LinkedIn's algorithm. For example, his LinkedIn members who shared a tearful selfie with a caption that referenced anxiety and the challenges of insecure work received over 2.7 million impressions and, according to the poster, numerous business opportunities and He says he has gained new connections and followers. In fact, LinkedIn and marketing companies recommend “being vulnerable” to optimize engagement on the platform. Expressing vulnerability on LinkedIn is thus both a critical response to precarious labor markets and a means of survival within such precarious forces by attracting attention and reputation. .
Expressing vulnerability on LinkedIn is thus both a critical response to precarious labor markets and a means of survival within such precarious forces by attracting attention and reputation. .
At the same time, the trend of posting vulnerabilities on LinkedIn reflects and reinforces a growing disillusionment with productive work cultures, digital platforms, and the pressures of self-promotion. It expresses the rejection of the demands of working punishing hours with passion and grit in a toxic environment that denies pain and vulnerability. Instead, LinkedIn users emphasize that vulnerability and slowness are means of resistance to the pressures imposed by a digital culture of hyper-productivity and self-promotion, and the algorithmic logic that supports and reinforces this culture. Masu.
Nevertheless, while posts about vulnerabilities reveal systemic issues such as toxic and unequal work structures, they generally address issues such as “identifying employee burnout and managing stress.” We recommend ad hoc, instrumental and individual solutions such as 7 Tips to Help You. When they seek change, it is personal and individual, but rarely structural. Also, very importantly, even though vulnerability is trending, not everyone is allowed to be vulnerable on his LinkedIn (or any other platform). As Youssefi admits in her post, she decided to share her vulnerability in order to connect with many people who are going through similar experiences, but unlike her, “I don't feel like I'm weak.'' 'They couldn't speak up because they were afraid of being seen as a 'person' or jeopardizing their job.'
This post is based on the author's article “Posting vulnerability on LinkedIn” published in New Media & Society.
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