I’ve had quite a handful of instances the past couple of weeks where one of my contacts (or perhaps one of theirs) post something personal and meaningful (to them) only to be flagged down by comments such as:
“This content is for Facebook and not LinkedIn. Please, don’t post these kind of messages here.”
“Please post this type of content on Facebook and not here. LinkedIn is for professionals.”
“Request you to be mindful of the content you share on a professional network. These posts belong to Facebook. Not LinkedIn. Please consider what you post in future.”
“Delete this post, please. This isn’t Facebook.”
Random comments on LinkedIn
Now, I’m a person who believes in calling a spade, a spade, irrespective of the platform I’m on but I chose not to reply, comment, or react. It wasn’t required. So, I saved the post and let it pass. But then I started to notice similar responses popping up frequently. And I kept saving them all for some reason.
Last evening, I saw another one. This time, however, I decided to review the other saved messages and evaluate what was really happening. What’s in these messages that’s turning people off or making them react so negatively? And here’s my analysis for two of the posts*:
- One of the posts was a video of people in front of the Ka’bah in Mecca. The caption read: the doors open to our faith again.
- The other was a picture of a poor seeking shelter in rain. The caption read: Not everyone is living at the same level.
The other posts were themed on leadership in politics, poor governance of a former employer, and office politics. And here’s my honest opinion:
What matters the most is that people care enough to share their thoughts and views in public. Yes, there’s a certain level of courteousness to be mindful of (like you don’t share Porn or X-rated memes) but if we all were to be stripped down to the basics — our feelings, emotions, and pain are all the same. They don’t have an “appropriateness” label to them.
The comments above reminded me of that asshole of a boss who humiliates a team member to tears and then says, “Please, control your emotions, this is a workplace not your home.” Who the hell said you can’t cry in public or at the workplace? Is there a workplace manual with a certain rule that states so? Or is it against the law to be human at the workplace? It doesn’t make any sense!
Likewise, the platform is irrelevant. They were designed for user-generated content to be shared. And being snobbish about what’s appropriate and what’s not is both stupid and insensitive. You’re not the LinkedIn or Facebook police. Also, if the platforms don’t have a problem with it then you might as mind your own business and get on with your life.
Remember — there’s always the option to not respond or ignore or even block a person in social media. Use it. If that’s inconvenient, know that there’s no such thing that’s more suited for LinkedIn than Facebook or vice-versa. These platforms exist so you can share. Period.
P.S. *note that the captions and comments have been edited (not changed or modified, there’s a difference) for obvious reasons.