I am thrilled to announce that I hate LinkedIn.
One of the worst advancements in hiring has to be that godforsaken app. The worst part is that in some fields, especially journalism, it has become a basic requirement.
Since when has being fake become something journalists want to wear as a badge of honor?
Nobody just gets a job anymore. They have to be “beyond thrilled,” thank 14 people, describe the experience as a “transformative journey” and act like accepting the position was the culmination of a lifelong mission, even though they usually move on less than six months later.
If your first thought after moving up in a field ostensibly centered around public service is to write a five-paragraph humblebrag about yourself, that is not a good look.
Then again, this is 2026, when mainstream news copy is barely distinguishable from public relations slop,somaybeLinkedInis exactly where journalists belong.
Colleges, the stalwarts of democracy and ethics that they are, make sure to shove it down every senior’s throat like our tuition payments depend on it. We are constantly told to network, polish our profiles and turn ourselves into a “personal brand” if we want to get hired.
The whole thing feels like a massive slap in the face.
I thought doing everything I was asked and supposed to do for four years at a university that constantly advertised its career connections and job pipelines was supposed to help me find work. Apparently not. Apparently, I also have to sell my “personal brand” on LinkedIn like an Edoperiod courtesan, only on the internet.
Had I known that before going to college, I could have skipped the degree, started writing articles on Substack and made a LinkedIn account.
I did not need to spend tens of thousands of dollars at one of Oklahoma’s most overpriced universities to learn that I should market myself online. But that seems to be the final lesson anyway: Do all the work, earn the degree and then hope you can sell yourself convincingly enough that someone notices.