Scrolling LinkedIn isn’t supposed to be the same as scrolling Instagram. Lately, opening LinkedIn gives me and most college students that same feeling like when you’re looking at celebrities’ yacht trips to the Bahamas or friends’ new wardrobes you wish you had. The only thing is that this time, it’s not envy over an aesthetic photo or outfit, but insecurity about your college career, internship opportunities, and college achievements. LinkedIn has become more toxic than it is helpful and it has infiltrated every aspect of life on College Hill.
Students have traded Instagram scrolling for stalking LinkedIn posts of people declaring internships with major firms, awards and club successes, or acceptances into sought after programs. Don’t get me wrong, I love congratulating friends and sharing in the success of those around you, but not at the expense of your own self worth and accomplishments. When you’re grinding at the library all hours of the night, half asleep, killing yourself over a paper, and a notification of a classmate appears of them declaring their soon to be summer internship at Goldman Sachs or their important assistant research role, it becomes impossible not to get lost in comparison and feel the impossible pressure of such expectations.
Just like people sharing all their best moments on Instagram and avoiding their bad ones, the thing LinkedIn doesn’t show are the dozens of rejection, dead-end messages to industry leaders, or the nights of crashouts and self-doubt that went into that one achievement post; unfortunately, that is hard to imagine when all your seeing is someone’s ideal moments. What you don’t see is the struggle. In college, when everyone is dealing with balancing workload as well as social life, all with different commitments and goals, the gap between where you want to be and where you are can be huge, especially when others your age may already be there. It can be especially overwhelming.
The psychology behind this isn’t new– its known as social comparison theory. Similar to how it sounds, we all compare ourselves to others and can let it determine where we are and our feelings toward our own lives. On LinkedIn, seeing one success can make it feel like the standard or like what everyone is supposed to be doing. This doesn’t account for the infinite differences between two people. The differences in connections and family backgrounds, seeking a different degree or career path, or past achievements. Instantly, your own success feels small. Something you were proud of five minutes ago can feel unimportant.
LinkedIn does however help connect students to real world people and opportunities, changing many students’ lives and giving them a network to help reach their goals. Its concept has been a game changer and made planning for the future and building relationships to reach new goals. Unfortunately these pros have been somewhat outweighed by the toxic stress of needing more and more connections, following others paths of success comparing them to your own, and feeling defeated when the sought out connections fail. For low-income or first-gen students, LinkedIn can be that much more infuriating. It is hard to scroll through the countless internship opportunities when some students had resources or connections that others didn’t have. LinkedIn does not merely present professional success, but presents inequality and nepotism that unfortunately has become ingrained in our society. At its best, LinkedIn can be a development and indeed a networking tool. But if LinkedIn scrolling has turned into a demeaning habit instead of an asset, you may be in need of a reset. Here are a few things that have worked for me:
- Use it with intention. Instead of scrolling on autopilot, log in to look for opportunities or profile changes.
- Remember the unseen struggles. Whatever post you’re viewing, there’s a backdrop of rejections and disappointments that just aren’t visible.
- Unfollow or mute strategically. If certain posts send you into comparison mode, it’s fine to set boundaries. Remember that everyone is in a different place and may have access to different resources.
In the end, LinkedIn is a small part of college life. It might look like everyone else has their whole life figured out, but trust me, they don’t. Comparison is unfair to your own, unique journey.
“Celebrate your wins, big or small. Landing a dream internship is huge, but so is making it through a tough semester or completing a daunting assignment.”
There isn’t a set path to success, even if a post may make it appear that way. College isn’t about measuring yourself against other people’s experiences and resumes. It’s about finding your self, setting personal goals, and creating your own story, all on your own time in whatever way works for you.
So the next time LinkedIn anxiety creeps in, remind yourself: you’re not behind. Everyone’s timeline and definition of success is different.