Are We All Narcissists on LinkedIn?
We’ve all seen a sharp increase in personal stories appearing in our LinkedIn feeds. Is this a bad thing, and how should we navigate this trend ourselves?
LinkedIn is a great tool that I use frequently. I post about my job, this blog, content from other sources I think could interest my network, and occasionally, I do share work-related news about myself: my recent certificates and diplomas, completing the first step of my coaching training, changing jobs, and so on.
Similarly, I almost always comment when people I know professionally reach similar milestones, offering congratulations and showing appreciation about those everyday positive news that I’m always happy to read about.
I wouldn’t necessarily consider this excessively narcissistic. LinkedIn is a professional network where we showcase our resumes and achievements. We use it to stay connected with former colleagues and business contacts, but also to build relationships with people we might have met only once, yet could be mutually beneficial in the future.
Since data shows that personal posts outperform corporate pages, it seems logical that everyone is trying to leverage this to promote their work.
However, we see a growing number of posts about all sorts of personal experiences or achievements, often illustrated with selfies or personal photos. I’ve even been guilty of this myself a few times. My point here isn’t to criticize, but to understand why we do this, why these posts seem particularly successful, and what we should be careful about.
As Esther Choy wrote in Forbes, even though LinkedIn doesn’t provide much data, we know these are the most common types of posts we see:
- The humble brag about a personal or corporate accomplishment
- Career milestones: job changes, work anniversaries, promotions
- Expert opinions or thought leadership content
- Upcoming events: product launches, webinars, conferences, trade shows
Why are we drawn to the first two category of posts, and what can we learn from them?
The main factor is the human connection. LinkedIn is a professional network, but we’re all human, and these posts feel authentic and relatable. This is why a personal picture amplifies the impact, strengthening the connection to the person sharing the story.
These stories can also be quite emotional. Sharing a vulnerable experience or a picture with a child evokes an emotional response. Sharing lessons learned from personal experiences builds trust and authenticity.
While this is positive, we also need to be a bit cynical. Emotional connection fosters reactions and conversations, which boosts visibility through the algorithm. This leads to a risk of overuse or reader fatigue if they feel manipulated for likes. This is what prompted me to write this blog: I see more and more of these posts, some legitimate, others less so.
For example, when a startup founder explains how having a disabled sister inspired her to create a company to help families, sharing her story makes complete sense. Her personal story is directly linked to her entrepreneurial venture and it is indeed a powerful story to share. However, in other cases, twisting a personal story to explain how it led to overperforming at work can be taken to extremes, as shown in this funny video with examples that aren’t unfortunately that far fetched...
So, what can we conclude?
This trend won’t disappear soon, but we need common sense.
First, we must be genuine. Attempts to manipulate emotions will backfire and damage your brand, as shown in this example. Second, involving third parties (like using pictures of your child or mentioning someone’s story) raises privacy and security concerns. Share only your own experiences and anonymize others if absolutely necessary.
Obviously, we need to consider how a post might be perceived, especially by those who influence our professional or personal lives: employers, managers, clients, but first and foremost partners, family, and friends. Adopting the reader’s perspective before posting is essential. This highlights the importance of storytelling, using clear narratives and language to avoid misunderstandings.
Finally, LinkedIn remains primarily professional. Everything we post should be viewed through that lens. Sharing personal stories should only be done in a professional context. It’s not Instagram, TikTok, or WhatsApp.
Even if personal stories garner high engagement, they should remain rare. Sharing industry insights, thought leadership, or professional advice also builds a strong personal brand. The main purpose of our posts is to showcase professionalism through interesting content. Let’s be pragmatic and remember this.
