Should we boycott LinkedIn?
It’s an option. But where else would we go? There is no other network or platform like it.
And I’m not sure it would help. Algorithm bias happens across all socials. LinkedIn isn’t going to care if you stop paying unless 100K+ people stop at the same time.
Right now there’s a sea of “goodbye cruel world” posts coming from some of the most diverse voices on LinkedIn. And silence from HQ.
Meanwhile, so-called LinkedIn experts keep saying, “We just have to wait until the algorithm figures itself out.” I saw someone on YouTube super excited about the new algorithmic changes. Ugh.
The problem is that algorithmic bias is really obvious on LinkedIn because of how LinkedIn works. You don’t notice it on other platforms because the feeds there are more on-topic or closed-network.
The question is why it’s so problematic here.
The answer is actually pretty simple.
A lot more men than women post — by far — and the algorithm watches who posts and who interacts with those posts. That includes your personal demographics. (And yes, LinkedIn knows all your demographics, even if you never authorized it.) Then it extrapolates and applies that pattern to all of us.
This isn’t a LinkedIn-exclusive issue. That’s how algorithms work. (Except TikTok. They’ve mastered the algorithm. I’ll be sad to see it banned in the US.)
When women do post, the content usually falls into one of two categories:
- Boring “so excited to have spoken at this event!” posts. Or the ever-thrilling “look how great my client did!” post. Not saying these are bad. But they send a message when that’s all you’re posting. Yawn.
- Stuff that makes people really uncomfortable. (I fall into this category.)
All it takes is one or two of our posts getting reported, and suddenly we’re branded as problematic and our topic gets flagged as unpopular. Reach gets suppressed across the board, even with a massive following. Just ask Cindy Gallop how that’s working for her. (It’s not.)
The worst part: we’re not notified. We don’t get to appeal. The post just… poof. Gone.
FFS, even Facebook gives you the option to appeal AND tells you which post triggered the flag, so you can revamp it for the censorship police.
Clearly, things need to change.
I love LinkedIn. I’ve met amazing people I wouldn’t have met anywhere else. I’m even building a whole business around what I’ve learned here, because it still shocks me how many people haven’t figured this stuff out. (Shameless plug for Love Your LinkedIn Profile.)
What’s next? TBD. But I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon. (Also, I tried the not-paying-for-Premium thing once. Did not go well.)
So now we need to fix it.
(h/t to Beth Massa for getting me all worked up about algorithm bias and sending me down a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to fix it. LinkedIn should pay me.)