LinkedIn culture makes no sense to me. It typically takes a person’s ideas — whether promoting democratic participation or promoting ChatGPT prompts — and garbles them behind a veil of professional-sounding language. Complex language should be reserved for when it is necessary, not as a means of impressing others.
Has our hyper-competitive culture promoted hyper-corporatizing our language in professional spheres? Yes. Is this trend necessary or even advantageous? No. The purpose of LinkedIn is not to play host to an intellectual rat race but to show the passion behind your work.
Writing concisely is a crucial skill. Another crucial writing skill — perhaps less appreciated — is writing simply. This skill does not mean translating our ideas into “caveman speech” but rather allowing the average reader to be able to digest your thoughts. Objectively, journalism and most non-fiction writing fields master this process. The writing and subsequent editing process are a loop of asking: “Is this blurb necessary to your point? Yes? Great. No? Gone.” This process refines the text to its core elements, giving the reader details with as little fluff as possible. That balance between information and simplicity is how we should be writing professionally.
The main reason why we must shift is that most students at four-year institutions — the most literate adults in the United States according to a study done by the American Institutes for Research — lack proficiency in deeply-examining the advanced prose that accompanies many overcomplicated LinkedIn posts. The difference between being able to “understand” and naturally comprehend is best displayed in this example: Many high school students can understand “Hamlet” or “Crime and Punishment,” but they are not attuned to that language and therefore must slow down to soak in each sentence. The professional sphere should mirror this approach. Communication is key to functionality. So, the more we make our daily business communications akin to our day-to-day lives, the better our businesses can function. This change can start by removing the over-complicated fluff from lengthy LinkedIn posts.
Consider other industries that work with the public. In one of the more notable examples, few people prefer having doctors include medical jargon when communicating with them. Does this problem mean American patients are unable to understand their bodies? No. People just prefer communicating in a manner familiar to them, reducing the misinterpretation of every abbreviation and “-itis.” Law, similar to business, is also notorious for complicated jargon. Like medicine, law uses antiquated Latin alongside complex sentence structures to build the foundations of legal briefs. In the courtroom, however, many lawyers adapt to prevent jargon from being confused by a jury. The difference between a brief — tailored for a judge — and a jury trial is the necessity of precise language and the assumed background of the audience. Lawyers do not dumb down their argument but refine it for success in front of a jury. Many argue that the courtroom is like performing theatre, and few become entertained if they struggle to understand your plot.
Artificial intelligence and overall algorithm-chasing on LinkedIn posts pose another issue. It is one thing to overfluff your work, but removing the actual human element for the sake of an algorithm makes nearly every post identical. This trend results in many posts being about either AI prompt engineering, resume padding or the next big thing entering corporate America. While using AI to write your posts does boost the quantity of posts, it severely ruins the quality of your voice when sharing with your network.
AI lacks a human voice and subsequently creativity. A voice on the page can engage an audience to heights beyond a heart or thumbs up. However, LinkedIn’s own on-site AI further escalates my point that the future of business communication is not just worrying but actively declining in its effectiveness.
Yes, the status quo of long-jargony business posts has been “working,” but in this ever-expanding corporate sector, perhaps the secret is to thriving creativity. We must put aside the generators and jargon and examine the roots of what makes writing a joy to read. Don’t only impress your audience — engage them.
