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Link Me Out! The Politicization of LinkedIn
Once, at my previous corporate job, I had a colleague who seemed strong minded to bring politics into every conversation, despite our unspoken office rule to avoid such touchy topics. It was right in the middle of the heated debate around Israel’s judicial reform, the one being pushed by the right-wing government. It went something like this:
My colleague: So, did you make it to the protest in Tel Aviv last Saturday night?
Me: I didn’t.
My colleague: Oh…well, you know, I’m on the other side.
Me: Uh, okay…
At the time, I didn’t think too much of it—office small talk can be weird. But what did surprise me was when I began seeing the same type of politically charged dialogue pop up on LinkedIn. Wait, LinkedIn? Really? The platform where we were supposed to be talking about work?
I mean, we’ve all come to accept that platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are essentially the Wild West of social media, where anything goes. Political rants, memes about your neighbour’s loud dog, someone trying to sell their used IKEA furniture, and endless hot takes about everything under the sun. It’s a circus, and we’re the unwilling audience members. We watch as our feeds flood with political opinions, debates, and yes, your aunt Karen’s comments on the state of the world. Even academics and business professionals, who post job listings or share their research on X, have learned to coexist with the firestorm of political news and personal rants.
But LinkedIn? That was supposed to be our one safe space—our professional asylum. It was the place where you posted job opportunities, industry insights, or at worst, some overly enthusiastic “hustle culture” posts about how to wake up at 4 a.m. and win the day. You know, the standard, business-as-usual stuff. Sure, there were already some questionable posts creeping in, like the infamous “10 Things I Learned from Traffic Jams About Diversity and Inclusion”, or the classic “Insights from Watching My Dog Pee on Efficiency in the Workplace” (I might have overstated that last one).
And just when we thought it couldn’t get any weirder, bam! politics enters the LinkedIn arena.
The straw that broke the camel’s back for me came yesterday. The IDF unintentionally killed Yihiya Sinwar, the general commander of Hamas. A massive news event, of course. I saw it on all the major outlets as expected. But then, I scrolled through LinkedIn, and there it was—posts cheering the event, thanking Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu), and even some celebratory GIFs.
Yes, LinkedIn. The platform we’d all mentally reserved for corporate news, job searches, and motivational quotes had turned into a political soapbox. It wasn’t subtle. “Thank you, Bibi!!!” one post screamed, followed by another saying, “Let’s celebrate!” This wasn’t some fringe corner of the internet, but rather the same platform where last week I saw posts about HR strategies and “5 ways to optimize your workflow”.
And it wasn’t the first time, either. During the protests against the judicial reforms, the left took its turn flooding LinkedIn with political content. “The fight for democracy starts now!” read one post. “Come join the protest; it’s our duty!” read another. We’ve gone from sharing career advice to sharing rallying cries overnight.
And here’s the thing—I’m not here to say politics doesn’t matter or that people shouldn’t be politically engaged. In fact, politics is deeply important, and it affects all of us. But LinkedIn? That’s where I draw the line. I’m already dodging political crossfire on Facebook, X, and probably even Instagram. Now I have to side-step it while updating my CV or endorsing someone for “Microsoft Excel proficiency”? What’s next? Am I going to get a DM saying, “Hey, would love to connect—by the way, do you support the judicial reform?”.
And now? The lines are blurring fast.
I’m not arguing that LinkedIn should be devoid of all current events. If there’s something that genuinely impacts industries or markets, it makes sense to discuss it. For example, the impact of a major election on global markets or how new government policies could affect hiring trends—that’s relevant. But what’s happening here feels different. It feels like LinkedIn is becoming another battleground in the culture wars, where people use their profiles not just to connect with others in their field but to shout their political allegiances from the rooftops.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I miss the days when LinkedIn was just boring. You know, the good old days when the most annoying thing on your feed was someone announcing their “30 under 30” award or the inevitable “I’m excited to announce I’m starting a new role” post. Those were simpler, if slightly more self-congratulatory, times.
So, where do we go from here? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s time to accept that LinkedIn, like every other social media platform, is going to become politicized. Or maybe we push back and remind people that some spaces should remain politics-free, where we come together to share job opportunities, industry insights, and, yes, even those cringe-worthy “life lessons from my dog” posts.
Next time I get a LinkedIn notification, I’m bracing for impact. Because who knows? It might just be another political firestorm waiting to happen.
Until then… Link me out!
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