I used to love LinkedIn. It was the one social platform that felt a little less fake. A little more professional. A place for real networking, business insights, and the occasional humble brag that didn’t make me want to delete the app.

But something has changed. And not in a good way.

Lately, LinkedIn gives me the ick.

The kind of ick that makes me close the app as soon as I open it. The kind of ick that makes me want to start posting again, just so there’s something—anything—real in my feed. The kind of ick that makes me question if LinkedIn is even worth it anymore.

So, let’s talk about it.

The Video Messages That Make Me Want to Quit the Internet

Speaking of things that make me want to delete the app… LinkedIn video messages.

WHY?

Who decided this was a good idea?

This is what has triggered me to write this post. Imagine this: I open my LinkedIn inbox today, expecting a normal message, and BOOM. There it is. Someone’s face, talking directly to me. It’s like a cold call, but worse.

There’s no escape.

And let’s be honest—these aren’t messages. They’re sales pitches disguised as “personalised outreach.” If you’re sending me a video message, I already know you’re trying to sell me something. And now I have to awkwardly sit there, watching you talk at me, before I can even decide whether to reply or ignore you.

Nope. Absolutely not. I AM NOT WATCHING THAT SHITE!

The “Look at Me, I’m Thriving” Posts

Ah, yes. The classic LinkedIn humblebrag.

Except it’s not humble anymore. It’s full-on “I’m absolutely killing it in business, and if you’re not, you’re doing it wrong” energy.

I know people who are struggling. Really struggling. Business is tough right now. The economy isn’t great. But if you looked at LinkedIn, you’d think everyone is smashing their 2025 targets, landing massive contracts, and doubling their revenue overnight.

And that’s the problem. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

People are too scared to be honest. Too scared to say, “Actually, things aren’t going great right now.” Because LinkedIn has become a place where vulnerability isn’t welcome.

Instead, it’s endless success stories, all carefully curated to maintain the illusion that business is always booming. And it’s exhausting.

The Fake Thought Leadership

Here’s a fun experiment: Scroll through LinkedIn and count how many posts start with a dramatic statement like “I wasn’t going to share this, but…” or “This one moment changed everything.”

Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.

Everyone wants to be a thought leader. Everyone wants to go viral. But the problem is, most of these posts aren’t authentic. They’re designed to get engagement. They follow a formula.

Hook. Relatable struggle. Inspiring takeaway. Call to action.

And it works. But at what cost?

Because the more we reward this kind of content, the more we encourage people to write posts that sound deep and meaningful—but actually say nothing at all.

The ChatGPT Invasion (OMG 2025 – Stop and let me off)

Here’s the thing. I know AI is the future. I know it’s a tool that can help businesses create content faster, generate ideas, and streamline workflows. But LinkedIn? It’s drowning in ChatGPT-generated fluff. FML.

Every other post reads like it was spat out by a robot. ***This kinda thing is a big giveaway***.  The OVERLOAD of emojis. Overly polished. Weirdly structured. Packed with clichés. It’s all starting to sound the same.

And let’s be real—half the people posting these AI-generated masterpieces don’t even edit them. They just copy, paste, and hit publish.

How do I know? Because I can see it. I can feel it. And I’m not the only one. It is killing my soul.

What happened to real thoughts? Real opinions? Real voices?

I want to hear from you, not from ChatGPT’s best attempt at sounding like a thought leader.

The Endless Engagement Hacks

Comment “yes” if you agree.

Tag someone who needs to hear this.

Drop an emoji if you feel the same way.

LinkedIn used to be about conversations. Actual discussions. Now, it’s all about gaming the algorithm.

Every post is written with one goal: Get as many likes, comments, and shares as possible.

And fair enough—engagement is important. But when did we stop caring about what we were engaging with? When did it all become about numbers instead of value?

The Copy-Paste Success Stories

Another thing giving me the ick? The never-ending stream of copy-paste success stories.

You know the ones. The classic:

“Last year, I was broke. This year, I’ve built a seven-figure business.”

It’s not that these stories aren’t true. Some of them probably are.

But they all sound the same. And after you’ve read one, you’ve basically read them all.

The Overuse of “Authenticity”

You know what’s ironic? People on LinkedIn talk about “authenticity” more than any other platform.

Be real. Be vulnerable. Show up as your true self.

And yet—LinkedIn feels more curated than ever.

It’s like there’s a set formula for how to be “authentic” on LinkedIn, and everyone is following the script.

But real authenticity? The messy, imperfect, unpolished kind? That’s disappearing.

Why I’ve Barely Posted in Six Months

So yeah. I’ve fallen out of love with LinkedIn.

I used to post regularly. Share thoughts. Engage with people.

Recently? I’ve barely been on. If I am, I scroll. I cringe. I close the app.

It’s not that I don’t have things to say. It’s just that I don’t want to play the game. I don’t want to compete in the LinkedIn Olympics of who’s winning the hardest.

And honestly? I miss the old LinkedIn. The one where people shared insights and genuine success stories because they had something valuable to say—not just because they wanted to rack up engagement points.

Can LinkedIn Be Saved?

The thing is, I want to love LinkedIn again. I want it to feel like a space for real conversations, not just performance.

So here’s my challenge—to myself and to anyone else who feels the same way:

• Post something real. Something that isn’t designed for engagement, but just for the sake of sharing.
• Stop using AI to write every post. Let your own voice come through.
• Bring back the messy, unpolished, imperfect content. The kind that actually makes people feel something.

Because LinkedIn can be great. It just needs more real people showing up in real ways.

Less AI. Less ego. Less performance.

More honesty. More substance. More actual connection.

That’s the LinkedIn I want. And maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late to bring it back.