t was bound to happen, sooner or later. LinkedIn, the platform designed to serve the communication, educational and promotional needs of a global business community, was destined to succumb to the textual sewer that is political discourse in America.
For most of our lifetimes, Facebook was the repository of such nonsense, hidden between cat videos and graduation pictures. The last decade or so has seen that platform denigrate into little more than a circular argument clinic with tossed insults and veracious forms of hate, most of which is based in the degradation of American politics. It’s difficult anymore to kick back and enjoy the entertainment value while posts and threads are routinely hijacked over political discourse. To some degree, their sister platforms Instagram and Threads have remained less about spitting and more about smiling.
X was once a passable method of garnering news and information, until that too was hijacked by disreputable political actors, bots and AI. Where once it also had an entertainment factor, it’s now more about dodging propaganda, disinformation, misinformation and spit-out lies from those with little more reasoning than getting a rise and being able to spout, “HEY! Look at the clicks I got on this!”
Sadly, LinkedIn has turned sour in so many ways. While it remains an excellent platform to meet like-minded and new people for business purposes, far too many of the threads of late are political in nature. They have absolutely nothing to do with business, and are all about sycophants and modern day rabble-rousers just seeking to garner attention. These posts have started angry debates and sunk the intellectual level of some conversations into the muck and mire of current political pablum.
I made the mistake of getting involved in one of these conversations recently, as it was chock full of false information and a level of idiocy that could not be ignored. Honestly, I should have passed it by, and I learned one of the lessons I actually teach when speaking about the media before convention and meeting crowds. This is the advice from my website that I just completely avoided and found my common sense quotient bottoming out in no time.
As I took the side of a veteran journalist in the roundabout, I was assailed for two weeks by people on the thread who found my truth to be not of their particular liking. I underestimated the zeal of those who had no desire to enter a civil conversation, instead going for the textual excrement thrown against the digital wall in all manner of insult. From that encounter alone, I was forced to block almost 20 accounts, some of which contained veiled threats and hints at violence.
Each one was recorded, sent to LinkedIn, and a few were even forwarded to local authorities. As I understand, there are as of this writing 4 separate police and other law enforcement investigations underway into what was directed at me simple for telling the truth. If it reaches a certain level, I will indeed be pressing whatever charges I’m allowed to muster.
Every single threat and negative comment was based on politics, despite the fact I have never revealed my political leanings. Most, if not all of the attack were based on innuendo and derogatory opinion, which in our current day society has become the currency for what was once intelligent conversation.
LinkedIn remains an excellent tool, when used properly. I have met and continue to meet dozens, even hundreds, of new contacts for business purposes. It has opened up new audiences for our customized corporate comedy at “Toast Boast Roast Comedy” and “Event Laughers”, increased the exposure of my speaking and educational platforms available here at “Ed Berliner Speaks”, and has led to more followers and viewers of my commentary series on YouTube, “Speaking of Everything”. I’ve also met innumerable wonderful people in businesses and interests that intersect mine.
LinkedIn serves an important purpose, meant to distance conversations from the social media clickbait dead-headed nature of platforms such as Facebook, X and others. However, thanks to those who seek hate and rhetoric wherever it can be spread, LinkedIn needs to be more attentive, proactive and reactive to removing the trash.
Personally, I don’t give a damn anyone's political beliefs. But when it becomes a bone of hate and contention replacing intelligent conversation, the time has come to clean house. Much the same could be said of numerous other conversations on other platforms, but we know what we’re getting when we take part in discourses “over there”.
We deserve better here, and it’s also up to us to not engage, don’t add to the bile, and stop giving the verbal and textual neanderthals of the world another place to spew their political excrement.
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