Amidst all the recent Twitter drama, many users are looking for alternatives to the once-powerful social media app. While a few new platforms are vying for the crown, could it be another established social media platform that actually steps up as an alternative? Why are people hesitant to consider LinkedIn as a replacement for Twitter?
Twitter has fallen on hard times in recent months. Under the leadership of the new CEO, Elon Musk, there’s already been numerous changes, layoffs, tyrannical work expectations, and disagreements over the new vision for the platform. Unfortunately, all of this drama has spilled onto the platform.
If you use the app now, it’s more than likely that you’ll see news about the continued Twitter drama. You’ll also find numerous Tweets regarding Trump’s comeback. This has started grating on Twitter users, and even some die-hard Twitterati are considering alternatives.
However, the new startups on the scene trying to get their hands on the crown aren’t there quite yet. Mastodon came up as a great alternative, and in many ways, it is. However, Mastodon’s server system is complicated, and posts tend to feel quiet. It’s definitely not abuzz like Twitter usually is. Another new alternative, Hive, is also gaining in popularity; however, it’s prone to crashing.
Another platform that’s come up, to the shock of many, is LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is widely known as a professional business platform, users have noticed a shift in content. LinkedIn used to be a platform used for building up business acquaintances and sharing professional content. The vibe could be described as smug and self-congratulatory.
Posts on LinkedIn are often seen as humble brags and grating morality tales. However, that’s starting to change. As the social media landscape is changing, LinkedIn is also undergoing a transformation. Not necessarily the app itself but more in the ways it’s used. Now, users’ feeds are starting to fill up with real conversations, interesting reads and links to good content, updates from friends and even selfies. Some users are even sharing their wedding photographs on the platform.
Influencers on LinkedIn are also changing. Instead of seeing purely business-related content, some influencers are releasing content that leads to real-life conversations. For example, Nicolas Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic, shares frequent videos titled ‘The Most Interesting Things in Tech.’ This is an interesting and engaging topic that leads to further discussion and interaction. The move to this type of content shows how LinkedIn is seeping into real-life conversations.
Many of us spend most of our time at work, especially during the week. These aren’t situations that translate well to image-driven platforms like Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat. You can only share so many images of having coffee at your desk. You can’t just start recording a TikTok dance at work? However, as the younger generations flood these image-driven platforms where they can be active, it means that content on these platforms might no longer be relevant to everyone.
You don’t want to be stuck at work and open Instagram or TikTok only to be bombarded by TikTok dances and selfies of someone enjoying a day at the beach. Many can argue that Twitter also shares this type of content, so what’s the difference? The difference is that Twitter is more niche than these image-driven platforms. Twitter is used to comment, share and interact with in-the-moment topics. It’s more like a news platform where users share regular updates on what’s happening in their lives – professionally and personally.
LinkedIn is one of the few platforms alongside Facebook that focuses on relationships first. You can’t just start interacting with a person’s post or make comments and send messages. The person first has to accept you as a contact – similar to Facebook friends. This means that the platform is more than just a fly-by-night job seeker platform.
Individuals who have actively started to use LinkedIn as a replacement for Twitter have made some interesting observations. People who used the platform predominantly for work noticed that it wasn’t only work acquaintances that interacted with them. School friends, family members, and college buddies were reconnecting and commenting on the posts.
This shows that something remarkable is happening in the social media world. LinkedIn is showing that it’s possible to merge your personal and work life into one platform. Instead of using multiple different social media apps to interact with different segments of your life – Linked shows the possibility of doing it all from one platform.
Despite these subtle changes, LinkedIn is still not considered the favorite amongst many users. Some users are only begrudgingly using the platform since their work encourages it. Many still prefer to unwind with something that’s familiar, such as cat videos on Instagram.
So, could LinkedIn be the next Twitter? Possibly. Many individuals are already using the platform for work purposes. Going one step further to start using it for socializing doesn’t seem impossible, and we already see it happening. Twitter already has the infrastructure needed but would need improvements to cement itself as a leading alternative. Is it the perfect replacement? No, but nothing really is.
