LinkedIn: Is the Leading Business Social Media Platform Unappealing to Millennials?

Discover why new generations of workers might not view the world’s most established professional networking platform too favorably.

For many years now, LinkedIn has become the standard when it comes to professional social networking media. There are many throughout the world who use this powerful platform as a way to advertise themselves, network with colleagues, or seek new opportunities daily. LinkedIn could also lead to exciting lead generation opportunities for people looking to unlock the full potential of their reach.

Many active LinkedIn users perfect the subtle art of creating lead generation for their own businesses by posting relevant articles. However, there seems to be a generational gap that is currently affecting the platform. For many young professionals, it seems natural to utilize Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for professional purposes. But this sparks the question: Do they really need LinkedIn?

Do Millennials See Value in LinkedIn?

In most cases, young professionals start a LinkedIn account because it is still considered a necessary step—it’s something that they feel they have to do to look better in the eye of their employers. In fact, according to Adweek.com, 87 million millennials are currently on LinkedIn, accounting for 38% of the platform’s user base, yet few maximize its true potential.

An article by The Huffington Post recently stated that millennials dislike LinkedIn due to the impersonal and cold nature of the platform, which might feel outdated in the growing, fast-paced world of social media and apps.

While the numbers confirm that there is quite a sizable amount of millennial users on LinkedIn, it is quite complicated to determine whether or not they see value in the platform or they simply feel obligated to have an account. In a market becoming more and more competitive, leading social networks such as Facebook are starting to take their first steps towards the professional world, and if LinkedIn is not careful, it might be at risk of being outpaced or even becoming obsolete. So be on the lookout soon from LinkedIn to stay competitive in this dog-eat-dog world of competing social media platforms.