"I'm so pleased to announce" and other LinkedIn humblebrags (Thread 02)
How to nagivate a space mostly filled with AI bots and CEO's ranting about what their divorce taught them about B2B sales
LinkedIn often feels less like stepping into a place of genuine professional community and more like wandering into a crowded networking event where everyone has forgotten how to be human.
The type of self-congratulatory rhetoric that pervades the average LinkedIn feed usually begins along the lines of: "I’m so pleased to announce...", as though our professional lives were a series of eternal press releases (I am fully guilty of this).
Certain selfies unnervingly blur the line of professionalism, strategically posted because the algorithm has deemed it so that human faces boost engagement, and we’re left unsure whether we’ve walked into a boardroom or a badly disguised vanity fair.
The algorithm consistently rewards uniformity: predictable templates, bulleted "insights”, and emoji-laden platitudes about workplace success. Clarity and sharpness, neatly packaged insights, decades of professional wisdom somehow distilled into 10 digestible bullet points. Yet scroll we do, liking and commenting as if to reassure ourselves that we are still, somehow, part of this important and imaginary race (again, guilty).
But the parts of our lives that are not only the most worth exploring, but also truly the most connective in nature (think crippling doubt, quiet reflection, abject failure) don’t fit into this version of algorithmic neatness. It asks us to squeeze our otherwise nuanced (often unprofessional and fault-ridden) selves into the easily digestible and overly inflated (as most social media does); reducing our value to a few carefully presented achievements, a list of complicated sounding titles and a set of easily digestible professional milestones.
This doesn’t mean the platform itself has no value, only that we’ve allowed it to set the terms of our worth far too narrowly.
LinkedIn, of course, reflects exactly what we've decided matters most in the professional world (polish, status, measurable success, sexy titles, quick fixes, relentlessness). The problem isn’t LinkedIn itself (although algorithms have something to answer for), but the confusion of public validation with private contentment.
The answer then, is to curate our experience a little more ruthlessly.
Of course the need to network, connect and to communicate the professional aspects of our identity is not null and void - and more importantly can be genuinely professionally rewarding. We might learn to use LinkedIn more carefully, even sceptically, and approach posting and interacting with a pinch of irony and a great deal of self-awareness. We can scroll less, post authentically, and then step away before the platform persuades us our worth is measured by how many people supported, loved or even better, found our posts insightful.
Start by unfollowing or muting anyone who repeatedly makes you feel inadequate.
You owe nothing to people whose content triggers anxiety, insecurity, or a creeping suspicion that you’re worthless.
Replace them with meaningful voices: individuals who use the platform thoughtfully, who share generously without performing, who provoke genuine reflection rather than envy. Seek these people out.
And when posting, instead of trying to crack the algorithm or craft a post that feels "impressive," it's helpful to ask yourself quietly, without judgement: am I posting this because I genuinely care about sharing these ideas, or am I performing to meet perceived expectations?
The truth is, thoughtful, even slightly uncertain reflections often resonate more deeply, especially with the kind of people that are worth connecting with. Treating LinkedIn less as a stage and more as an open, curious conversation makes it less intimidating, and real professional connections rarely come from perfect posts.
Posting less frequently but more thoughtfully, and engaging meaningfully with others can transform LinkedIn from a soul sucking, existential, professional doom scroll into something more rewarding. Follow people who genuinely enrich your thinking, interact honestly with those who encourage real insight, and gradually build a circle where the content is meaningful rather than exhausting.
Because underneath all the bullshit LinkedIn can be meaningful. There are voices worth hearing, creators reshaping professional discourse and people whose reflections spark genuine insight.
But if and when LinkedIn becomes a place of discomfort and general ickiness—there is always the simpler solution: close your computer, step outside, touch some grass, remember that we’re all floating on a giant rock and that your worth exists entirely independent of anyone else’s opinion or the algorithmic tendencies of an online platform.
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