The Linkedinisation of Facebook

Once upon a time, people used to comment that my Instagram didn't have much on it, and everything was about my kids. I know, I'd reply, I carefully curate it so I look like a moderate, adequate human, because it's public facing and the first thing employers look up.

Oh. They'd pull a face and take a moment to consider what their grid looked like. Yoink.

Whenever I look at Facebook today not only are an increasing number of posts about people's small businesses, or travel with jobs and similar, but a creeping number are actually just straight up about work for a work audience. I do it too. The overall tone now though is much more formal than it ever has been.

Here's what I think is happening:

Partially, I think it's because a lot of people now have side hustles and in hope of it paying the fuel bill, people have to talk in more formal ways, create more content and share it more places in hope of opening a door.

Partially, I think to a lot of people any lead is a lead, so providing it's quantified it doesn't matter how warm it is. Better to have clicks from your dad and aunt to the tracked URL marketing gave you, than to have none, right?

But partially I think hustle and grind culture has just become endemic to the point that almost everyone now defaults to subconsciously seeing themselves in the third person and writes accordingly. No matter where you are, you are a personal brand and it needs protecting. Gone are the days even when someone would post a three line long rant about how awful Royal Mail's customer service are, full of swears and emojis, because it cheapens your brand and makes you look weak.

So, while many bemoaned how LinkedIn had become Facebook, the truth is as the purpose of social media has moved towards being related to work and generating revenue for the majority, LinkedIn has actually creeped out onto almost every other platform.