Here's Why You Should Think Twice Before Posting on LinkedIn
As someone who grew up with the internet, I’ve always been conscious of what I post online. We were raised on warnings—college admissions officers will see this, future employers will judge you, your reputation is at stake. And yet, here I am as an adult, watching other grown adults treat LinkedIn like their Finsta, posting unprofessionally in an attempt to rage-bait people into interacting.
And while I commend getting engagement on a post—I think adults, yes, adults—forget that what you post online exists forever. Worse than the unprofessional quality of these posts is the clear lack of effort in editing AI-generated writing. Some of these posts have such distinct AI tones that it leaves me wondering, how can you claim to be passionate about what you’re writing about when you won’t even give your AI caption a once-over?
We’ve been misled to believe that you should post multiple times a day—first, as a marketing tactic designed to increase engagement and boost social media platform usage (to the platform’s benefit), and second, to participate in a rat race for visibility. This has led to an abundance of inauthentic, AI-generated garbage to sift through before finding content that adds value. But what's the point of getting your content seen if it's making others question your professionalism? There’s no way your six to seven LinkedIn posts a day are adding long-term value to anyone’s life. I dare you to think of a post from a month ago that you're still thinking about. It’s like when someone is on vacation mania and posts 30 stories to their Instagram. People are maybe watching the first three stories and then dipping. Those batch-scheduled AI-written LinkedIn posts? They’re forgotten immediately. Maybe you’re getting a pity-like, if you’re lucky. All you're doing is cheapening your thoughts.
In a society where more is more, we should prioritize quality over quantity. Because at the end of the day, you can post as much as you want on LinkedIn, collect whatever badges you have, but that doesn’t actually make you credible just because you’re speaking the loudest and most often.
I’m not going to lie and say I don’t use AI. I do. It helps with the editing process as a small team getting content out. But what I’m not going to do is post repeatedly and aggressively with batch-made AI content on my social media page and act like that makes me an expert.
For the Love of All Things—Edit Your AI Posts
And to think we used to worry about typos in writing. Now, we have to see the same templates and useless content get churned out a million times faster. I’d rather see typos than the amount of bland, AI-driven content I’m seeing. And yes, there has always been bad copywriting, but now there’s even less of an excuse. If you’ve got an AI tool writing the first and second drafts of your content, give your post the time of day to make the third draft something worthy, something you, something actually human. Your brain still has that skill. Use it or lose it. And if it's not worth that time editing, it's probably not worth posting in the first place.
If I took your name off the post and put it in a sea of other LinkedIn posts, would anyone be able to pick yours out of the crowd? Would someone close to you know that you wrote it? That’s where your final version of a post should end up.
And maybe you’re thinking, "Casual writing is my style." That’s fine. Keep it casual. But most AI writing isn’t casual. It’s the ‘chalant’ of writing. It’s the equivalent of a fellow American correcting your pronunciation of the word croissant to "krwa·san"—that is a way to say that word, but not the way you usually would.
I’m going to say something insane here: I’d rather read your unedited human post, typos, rambling, and grammar errors included,
than another templated LinkedIn post—BOOM!
With spaced-out editing that reads like a robot. 🤖
And yes, I formatted it like that on purpose.
Why Should You Care?
Maybe you’re fine with LinkedIn friends mindlessly liking your posts out of obligation—but is that really engagement? I mean, if everyone is drinking the lazy writing Kool-Aid, why not?
You shouldn’t care what I think. You should care what your audience thinks. And your audience is seeing your posts when they click on your social media profiles. Every time I see one of these absurd posts, I picture a potential client, peer, or employer checking out that LinkedIn or Facebook profile. What would they think when they come across the nonsense being shared for the world to see? Not only do I probably not want to do business with you, but I also now have a negative view of you as a person because you lack professionalism as a grown adult.
If I’m having that thought, others are too. We can excuse teenagers for being childish on social media because that’s what they are—c h i l d r e n—but there has to be a "grown-up" line somewhere. That line is drawn when you enter the professional workforce and choose to be a "thought leader".
Your posts should be carefully edited and originate with a purpose. If you look back five years, or pre-AI, do your posts even resemble what they used to? Have you given your whole personality in writing to AI without a second thought? Do you need to post rage-bait as your only way of getting engagement? Sure, a debate here and there is educational, but I’m starting to think adults get off on fighting each other online just to feel something in their mundane 9-to-5s.
To clarify, there’s a difference between posting in a certain tone for a company or business—you can be formulaic there; that’s brand identity. But what I’ve been seeing are people’s personal profiles turning into crash-out-level posts. While you may let that alter ego loose at your company happy hour, keep it in check online. Your digital footprint says a lot about you, and young professionals are clocking the hypocrisy of seeing adults 20 years their senior posting things that would have gotten them expelled in high school.
Know Where and What You're Posting For
LinkedIn is a social media platform, but it’s not the new X. Social media platforms cannibalize each other left and right, but LinkedIn was originally created for professionals. If you want a more casual social media experience, there are plenty of other platforms where you can air out your business if you choose. But if your business relies on a social media platform, like Facebook, it’s not the time or place to be posting hot takes 24/7, beefing with a peer, or sharing party pictures from your weekend. It’s out of touch to see professionals posting “hot takes” they didn’t even take the time to edit. It's evident then that the post's only intention is to bait people. Posting only to rile people up isn’t revolutionary. It doesn’t mean your take is radical and that your audience “just doesn’t get it.” It’s creating drama in an online professional setting—which is easy to do. If someone’s profile is filled with messy takes and arguments in the comments, I can’t help but wonder how that person handles tricky professional situations in real life.
If your posts are 100% AI-generated and you're posting a bunch, then what you’re doing isn’t thought leadership—it’s performative. People who feel passionate about what they post write creatively and personally. Their posts feel authentic because they care enough to form a complete thought on that topic. Even the most passionate person won’t have a thoughtfully written idea multiple times a day.
Be Intentional With Your Social Media
I reckon this brainless posting comes from people feeling pressured to have a social presence for the credibility of their business. But no one asked you to reinvent the wheel or be a thought leader. And if you’re posting just to check the box, you’re not actually adding credibility to your business.
Do yourself a favor: give your posts a heavy-handed, HR-worthy edit. Be scathing in editing your own content, and most importantly, create a social media presence that benefits you and your business. No one is impressed by the egomaniac who thinks everything they say is genius. People are impressed by those who take measured and thoughtful actions—like posting only when they have something to say and being critical of their own words. Have a profile for your business. Post fun wins there. Share the customer story that makes an impact.
Posting incessantly online is like a restaurant with a six-page menu—you know they can’t be cooking everything well. But the menu that’s curated and pared down? They’ve taken the time to properly develop each dish for success.