Let me set the scene for you. It’s a Friday night. You’re at a party. You decide to go for a liquor store run with a guy you don’t really know and a girl on your club sports team who you’ve been friends with for over a year now. Handle of tequila secured, you head back up the winding Mission Hill streets to the party. Before you get inside, you and your friend decide to share contact information with the guy. What does he suggest – Snapchat, Instagram… maybe phone numbers? Nope. You all connect on LinkedIn.
So, that’s the question really… why is LinkedIn culture so prevalent at Northeastern University? Many of my friends from other schools – even my friends who would be considered to be “ahead of the game” – don’t spend nearly as much time polishing and perfecting their LinkedIn profiles as my peers at Northeastern.
When I submitted this idea to an editor on Woof’s eboard, she expressed to me that she was “excited to read it because she’s a BIG LinkedIn girlie!” And as an enthusiastic – if sometimes a little messy – LinkedIn user, that felt very relatable to me. However, I feel as though LinkedIn culture is so ingrained in Northeastern’s community that sometimes we’re not even aware we’re participating in it.
I discussed the concept for this article with two of my friends who both expressed the same sentiment: “I wasn’t even aware there was a LinkedIn culture at Northeastern.” Regardless, they both supplied poignant observations on using LinkedIn as a college student. One said, “I get incredibly specific social anxiety surrounding LinkedIn requests.” (Personally, I’m always more stressed about whether or not I should comment on a peers co-op announcement post. Like, we’ve been in three of the same classes and I’ve run into you at a couple frat parties but do I really know you well enough to publicly compliment you on your co-op at Mass General Brigham?) The other added, “I have 500+ connections, but only because I’m competitive and wanted to ‘win.’” And with everyone searching for those 500+ connections on LinkedIn – adding contacts from the guy you sat next to in Gen Chem 1 first year and haven’t seen since to your toxic ex to President Aoun – who don’t you connect with on LinkedIn these days?
Maybe that’s the true spirit of the LinkedIn culture: we may go off on our own separate co-ops, explore on study abroad, but then… we come back and have our LinkedIn profiles to show our experiential growth. As Northeastern students, it can sometimes feel overwhelming that we’re all moving in completely different directions. But on LinkedIn, we’re all on the same page, literally. Speaking for myself, my profile may not be perfect, but it was approved by Lisa Doherty so… that’s got to count for something, right?
Go ahead, connect with me on LinkedIn.