LinkedIn’s Midlife Crisis: Why your feed now looks like TikTok
Why LinkedIn is cosplaying TikTok, how it’s quietly winning the attention war, and what happens when networking becomes entertainment.
Your LinkedIn feed used to be a LinkedIn feed. Now, it’s a surreal mashup of:
A college dropout’s “day in the life” vlog.
A self-proclaimed “thought leader” crying about layoffs.
A Microsoft Excel tutorial soundtracked by Taylor’s Version.
This isn’t an accident. It’s a desperate (and brilliant) bid to survive.
LinkedIn’s transformation from résumé repository to “professional TikTok” has sparked outrage (“Keep cringe off my feed!”) and record engagement. Daily video views surged 3x year-over-year, while posts with personal confessions (“I was fired today”) now drive 42% more comments than job updates.
Let’s unpack why LinkedIn is cosplaying TikTok, how it’s quietly winning the attention war, and what happens when networking becomes entertainment.
1. The Data Behind the Desperation
LinkedIn is facing a perfect storm:
User stagnation: Growth flatlined at 1B users in 2023, with only 20% active weekly.
Gen Z indifference: 60% of 18-24-year-olds see LinkedIn as “irrelevant” (Morning Consult, 2023).
Revenue pressure: Microsoft (LinkedIn’s parent) reported LinkedIn’s ad revenue growth slowed to 5% in Q4 2023 vs. 18% in 2022.
Enter: The TikTok playbook.
2. The Four TikTok Tactics Infiltrating LinkedIn
Tactic 1: Algorithmic Amphetamine
LinkedIn’s feed now prioritizes:
Personal drama: “I slept in my car for 3 months” posts get 2.7x more reach than industry news.
Lo-fi video: Grainy iPhone rants outperform polished corporate content 4:1.
Reaction bait: Polls like “Should I quit my job?” drive 12x more shares.
Why it works: LinkedIn’s algorithm now mirrors TikTok’s “watch time > quality” model. The longer you gawk at a post, the wider it spreads.
Tactic 2: Creator Clout Chasing
LinkedIn’s “Top Voice” badges and creator fund (launched 2023) incentivize viral antics:
Salary p*rn: “I’m 25 and make $500K. Here’s how.”
Humblebrags: “Got laid off. Here’s my 7-step redemption arc.”
Paradoxical advice: “Why you should never follow your passion.”
Result: Creator posts now make up 35% of feed content, up from 8% in 2020.
Tactic 3: The “Soft Launch” Takeover
Gen Z professionals are repurposing TikTok trends:
Day-in-the-life vlogs: “9-5 as a burnt-out consultant” (5M+ views).
Get-ready-with-me: “Outfit prep for my promotion committee” (viral on #CorporateTok).
ASMR office sounds: Typing, coffee brewing, Zoom call sighs.
LinkedIn’s product team has leaned in, adding:
Stories: Disappearing video updates (killed by Instagram, revived here).
Collaborative articles: Crowdsourced hot takes (TikTok Duets for MBAs).
Tactic 4: The Emotional Labor Glitch
LinkedIn is exploiting a psychological loophole: Vulnerability sells better to professionals.
Posts with phrases like “I cried at work” get 3.8x more engagement.
Hashtags like #MentalHealth (2B+ views) now rival #JobPostings.
Case study: A Goldman Sachs analyst’s post about panic attacks went viral (500K+ likes), leading to 1,200 DMs from strangers — and a promotion to “VP of Authenticity” (actual title).
3. Why This (Kinda) Works
LinkedIn’s gamble is paying off — on paper:
Time spent/user up 55% since 2021.
Under-35 users grew 22% in 2023.
B2B ad revenue hit $4.1B (eMarketer, 2023).
But the real win? LinkedIn became culturally relevant again. By morphing into “TikTok for suits,” it’s:
Attracting media buzz (good and bad).
Forcing competitors like Indeed to mimic its model.
Positioning itself as the “third space” between work and social life.
4. The Looming Identity Crisis
LinkedIn’s TikTokification risks backfiring in three ways:
Risk 1: Trust Collapse
44% of users now doubt the authenticity of career advice posts (Edelman Trust Report, 2024).
Fake “AI influencers” (e.g., Ava, the Digital HR Coach) are flooding feeds.
Risk 2: Recruiter Flight
67% of recruiters say LinkedIn’s feed is “too noisy” for talent searches (LinkedIn Talent Solutions survey, 2023).
Risk 3: Platform Fatigue
“I miss boring LinkedIn” has 800K+ TikTok views.
The Playbook
Post raw, not polished: Grainy > glossy.
Monetize vulnerability: Share a struggle before promoting your course.
Hack the hybrid algorithm: Use 3 hashtags max (#WorkTok, #CorporateLife, #CareerHack).
LinkedIn’s midlife crisis isn’t a bug — it’s a feature. To survive, it had to choose between irrelevance and cringe. It chose cringe.
But here’s the twist: Cringe is cash.
What’s your play?
Is LinkedIn’s TikTok pivot genius or desperate?
Reply with the weirdest post you’ve seen (or written!).