LinkedIn is a social media platform geared to professionals. It enables you to network and to build your professional portfolio, but you can also go out into the world and look for a new job.  It is also used by employers and recruiters who are looking for job candidates. LinkedIn allows you to access important articles and posts which are relevant to you through your daily feed. It helps you to develop a strong digital footprint, which is essentially your personal brand. It helps you research companies and industries, find and apply for jobs, and build a strong professional network.  It’s not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat.

Which is why, why I ask are people starting to use LinkedIn for their political rants? Can we have one place where the unspoken rule is obeyed?  Social norms once assumed to be common sense have not translated well in the age of social media. Let me explain. 

My daily routine includes checking LinkedIn. I use it, as explained above, to grow my professional network. I also post relevant business related articles.  I also data mine my connections to look for opportunities, while simultaneously gathering business intelligence on competitors. You’re starting to see a theme.  Right? My daily routine was interrupted recently when I saw this post. 

If you don’t recognize this picture, it’s from the State of the Union 2020.  This person (whose name I have redacted for his privacy) posted this on LinkedIn.  Trump is speaking, Mike Pence is over his right shoulder, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is over his left shoulder.  At the end of the speech Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Donald Trump’s speech. I am not having a discussion right now about whether or not she was right or wrong, or about the contents of Donald Trump’s speech.

I am talking about someone consciously taking a picture of his television and posting the picture with his political commentary on a social media site whose purpose is for professionals to network.  But it didn’t stop there. Here are just a few examples of comments from some of his followers.

These posts remind me so much about how important it is to understand the mind of the Trump supporter. Check out an earlier post that discusses them in more detail.  Read here.

Again I am not here to discuss the contents or opinions expressed by any of these people. Everyone has a right to their opinion and everyone has a right to support whatever political leader who they believe lines up with their personal and political beliefs.  I ask only one question. Can we have one place where people can interact without politics becoming a disruption?

If you want to leverage the professional networking on LinkedIn, I encourage you to do it. Click here.  It is a powerful networking tool with a wealth of information whether you are looking for a job, expanding your professional network, or researching a person, company, or industry.   Just do the rest of us a favor. Post your politics somewhere else, and leave LinkedIn to the professionals.