LinkedIn is uniquely positioned to benefit from Twitter’s meltdown–and disgruntled X users are offering Microsoft a blueprint for social media supremacy
I’ve dubbed it “the retweet from hell.” A few weeks ago, Alex Salkever and I wrote an article for Fortune, extolling a fresh immigration policy endorsed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. This policy aimed at empowering promising entrepreneurs to set roots in the Golden State and kickstart their businesses. Once I shared the article link in a tweet, the governor generously retweeted it, reaching his expansive 2 million followers.
Yet, I was ill-prepared for what ensued: Our Twitter feeds were swiftly commandeered by vulgar, venom-spewing trolls tearing apart the article. The situation deteriorated to the point where my Twitter stream turned into a jumbled mess–most comments and mentions originated from these trolls, hurling various forms of abuse. Seeking insight, I messaged Governor Newsom, asking if this was a recurrent theme. His response? “Welcome to my world. :)”
However, it’s not just Newsom’s world. Under the Musk administration, the platform once known as Twitter has descended into a chaotic state. Our timelines are inundated with posts from unfamiliar individuals, whom we’ve never followed or engaged with, spewing falsehoods and nonsense. The algorithm dictating our content seems to have gone haywire, compelling us to rely on curated lists and the trending section. Granted, we could clean up our feeds by muting or blocking the trolls. But when that becomes the primary activity on the platform, what’s the point? Why participate in the digital town square if most individuals hide behind masks to obscure their identities, hurling insults without any inclination to converse? Why bother when a significant portion of them are bots, anyway?
Making LinkedIn more engaging and more useful
Amidst persistent grumbling from the Twitterati, Mark Zuckerberg boldly rolled out Threads, a move that garnered cheers from tech pundits who lauded the audacious step. The swift surge in signups, propelled by the already robust Instagram social network, prompted numerous speculations about Facebook’s potential to establish an unprecedented level of social supremacy. However, it’s possible that the prime beneficiary of the widespread discontent with Twitter could be Microsoft–and LinkedIn.By implementing timely and strategic product enhancements, LinkedIn has the potential to fulfill the lofty promises that Twitter once held, emerging as an even more captivating destination for enthusiasts of up-to-the-minute news and insights. Capitalizing on its inherently more reliable identification framework stemming from its professional affiliations, LinkedIn could seamlessly blend into both a global business-centric social graph and a comprehensive knowledge repository, enabling users to pinpoint and connect with world-renowned experts while consuming their valuable content.
In fact, it could even metamorphose into a hip virtual hangout, a real-time messaging hub that users habitually keep open, much like Twitter at its prime. If Alex and I were at the helm of LinkedIn’s product strategy, here’s how we’d steer the ship to augment its value, boost engagement, and make it an irresistible hub for users.
Allow users to better control their feeds
While LinkedIn prides itself on maintaining an air of civility, the reality is that its user experience falls flat. The tools to filter and mold LinkedIn feeds into a more meaningful journey are conspicuously absent. Consequently, extraordinary insights often drown in a relentless deluge of shameless self-promotion and regrettable posts peddling vacuous content like “Best ChatGPT Prompts for Crafting Sales Emails.”In stark contrast, Twitter’s news team excels at curating a select set of stories and nurturing expert commentary around them. And that’s just one part of the veritable treasure trove of news wisdom that Twitter readily offers. With just a few adept clicks, one can identify experts, follow their insights, or explore meticulously curated topic lists, amassing an unparalleled wealth of knowledge. This means LinkedIn is a less enticing platform for journalists to participate in.
Curbing LinkedIn’s inadequacies is a straightforward undertaking. Here’s our blueprint for a more refined LinkedIn:....
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