LinkedIn is the worst social media I've ever seen

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Role of LinkedIn in Hiring and Careers

  • Many see LinkedIn as a necessary evil: a bad platform that persists only because it’s where recruiters and jobs are.
  • Several commenters report that most or all of their jobs over the past decade came via LinkedIn recruiters or connections, especially in tech and in some geographies (e.g., Australia).
  • Others say they’ve deleted their accounts (sometimes years ago) and have done fine via direct outreach, personal networks, or other job boards (Indeed is mentioned positively).
  • Recruiters and hiring managers reportedly use LinkedIn to quickly check employment history and network connections; lack of a profile can be perceived as a red flag by some.

Feed, “Social” Layer, and Enshittification

  • Widespread contempt for the feed: self‑aggrandizing, fabricated “life lesson” stories, business-influencer cringe, political noise, and AI/bot slop.
  • Many view LinkedIn as “the labor market masquerading as social media,” with the social aspects considered useless or actively harmful.
  • Some note that, with careful tuning (unfollowing, hiding, upvoting selectively, chronological sort), the feed can surface decent business/policy content, especially after Twitter/X’s decline.
  • Others simply block or erase the feed with browser extensions or uBlock filters and use the site only as a resume/contact directory.

Account Bans, Verification, and Dark Patterns

  • Multiple reports of sudden suspensions or shadow bans, sometimes after benign security actions (MFA, password change, VPN use).
  • Restoring access often requires uploading passport or government ID via a third-party tool (Persona), which users describe as privacy-invasive and poorly justified, especially given rampant bot/AI spam that apparently goes unaddressed.
  • Concerns that ID and biometric data may be retained or monetized despite deletion claims; comparisons to KYC/AML spillover from finance.
  • Some cite aggressive emails, persistent “resurrecting” accounts, and paywalled features as signs of “enshittification.”

Alternatives, Coping Strategies, and Ambivalence

  • Suggested coping:
    • Use it only for inbound recruiter messages and company lookups.
    • Disable notifications, unfollow liberally, or hide the feed entirely.
  • Alternatives mentioned: personal networks, email/phone, GitHub/portfolio sites, Mastodon/Bluesky, lobste.rs, and traditional job boards.
  • Many feel trapped: they hate LinkedIn’s culture and dark patterns but fear losing career opportunities if they leave.