Sherry Shinde Laments LinkedIn’s Shift from Conversation to Commerce

In a recent LinkedIn post, Sherry Shinde expresses a growing disillusionment with the platform’s current state, lamenting a perceived decline in genuine interaction. Shinde contrasts the LinkedIn of today with its past, recalling a time when the platform fostered deeper connections and learning rather than purely transactional exchanges.

The Erosion of Authentic Connection

Shinde begins by stating her strong negative feelings towards the platform’s present trajectory. She recounts a recent evening where she realized she hadn’t engaged in a single ‘real conversation’ on LinkedIn for weeks, finding only solicitations and overt sales pitches.

I hadn’t had a single real conversation on LinkedIn in weeks. Just offers.

The author details the common content encountered when scrolling through the feed, characterizing it as a barrage of advertisements, bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) ads disguised with personal stories, unsolicited sales pitches for frameworks, and tutorials for AI tools.

According to Shinde, this stands in stark contrast to her earlier experiences on the platform. She remembers LinkedIn feeling more like a shared space for curious individuals, where comment sections were valuable for understanding different perspectives, not just for observing sales tactics.

I remember when this platform felt closer to a room full of people curious about the same things, not a row of storefronts.

A Return to Roots on Substack

Shinde reveals that her recent shift to posting on Substack has been a refreshing experience, reminding her of the LinkedIn she initially joined. On Substack, she finds people sharing thoughts, developing ideas, and offering mutual support rather than engaging in a competitive scramble for visibility.

In this new environment, Shinde observes that comments are not treated as key performance indicators (KPIs). Instead, the focus is on genuine discussion.

Nobody was treating a comment like a KPI. They were just talking.

This shift highlights what Shinde misses most about the earlier iteration of LinkedIn – the emphasis on conversation over quantifiable metrics.

A Call to Revitalize LinkedIn

Shinde expresses a desire to prevent LinkedIn from deteriorating further, stating her intention to actively contribute to its improvement within her sphere of influence. She believes the platform can be revitalized if there are still users who remember its original purpose and prioritize meaningful dialogue over engagement metrics.

I don’t want to watch this place die the way it’s dying. So I’m choosing to keep it alive, at least in the corner of it I get to build.

She concludes with a hopeful appeal to her audience, suggesting that those who value authentic interaction are the key to LinkedIn’s potential turnaround. Shinde encourages her readers to remain on the platform and to engage in genuine comments, thereby helping to preserve its original spirit.

The sentiment shared by Sherry Shinde underscores a broader concern within professional networking spaces about maintaining authenticity amidst the drive for growth and monetization. Her call to action is a plea for a return to the core values of connection and shared learning that initially made platforms like LinkedIn valuable.