I increasingly get the impression that LinkedIn is not a network of professionals but a network of carefully crafted titles. Everyone is open to collaboration. Everyone supports others. Everyone believes in knowledge, hard work, authenticity, and values.
But when someone without a fancy title, without a corporate shield, and without a well-known last name writes something smart, concrete, or bold, there’s suddenly silence.
Not because it isn’t good, but because it doesn’t come from the “right” source. Let’s be honest: many people on LinkedIn don’t read the words; they look first at the name. If that name belongs to a director, partner, regional manager, or someone from a large company, even an average thought gets applause.
But if the same words come from an ordinary person—a craftsman, a small business owner, someone on the front lines who really knows the work but doesn’t hold a “high-profile” position—the post is often skimmed.
That’s when you see just how professional this network really is. Because professionalism isn’t the bigwigs patting each other on the back. It’s when someone in a position of authority recognizes the value of someone who doesn’t hold such a position. When the director of a large company can send a message to an ordinary person saying:
“You’re thinking along the right lines.”
“I respect what you’re doing.”
“Maybe there’s room for us to talk.”
Yet this happens far less often than the public narrative suggests. So I ask myself: Is LinkedIn really a professional networking platform? Or is it just a digital salon where titles talk to titles, while real people are treated as an audience? Because if a person’s value is only visible once they hold a position, then the problem isn’t with that person.
The problem lies with those who, without a title, are unable to recognize a person.
Comments