LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform that differs in several key ways from mainstream social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
While sites like Facebook focus on connecting friends and family and sharing life updates, LinkedIn aims to connect professionals with each other and with job opportunities.
The differences come down to the purpose, functionality, content, and demographics of each platform.
Purpose
The main purpose of LinkedIn is to connect professionals, especially those in the corporate/business world. Users create profiles summarizing their professional experience, skills, accomplishments, and education. The goal is to network with others, form professional connections, look for jobs, and attract business opportunities. In contrast, sites like Facebook and Instagram have a more general social focus on sharing life updates, photos, and comments with friends and family.
Networking vs. Socializing
LinkedIn facilitates professional networking for career and business objectives. Features like LinkedIn groups and messaging allow users to connect with professionals worldwide. Facebook and other social media are more about socializing casually with existing friends and contacts.
Job Search vs. Communication
A major use of LinkedIn is job searching – users can view job listings, post their resumes, and be approached by recruiters. Other social networks do not have a strong job/career focus. Their communication features like status updates, stories, and chats serve a more interpersonal function.
Promotion vs. Sharing
LinkedIn also allows self-promotion of one’s skills, accomplishments, and business. Profiles act like professional portfolios or resumes. Other social media focus more on sharing personal updates rather than self-promotion.
Functionality
The functionality and features of LinkedIn cater towards professional networking and career development compared to other social networks.
Profiles
| Platform | Profile Focus |
|---|---|
| Professional experience, skills, accomplishments | |
| Personal background and interests | |
| Personal background and interests | |
| Photos and videos |
As you can see, LinkedIn profiles are optimized for professional details like work history, education, skills, and recommendations. Other sites focus on personal background and interests.
Groups
LinkedIn allows users to join Groups based on professional interests, industries, colleges, etc. These groups facilitate networking between professionals in similar fields. Other social networks have groups, but they tend to be centered on general interests like hobbies, entertainment, etc.
Job Features
Some key LinkedIn features are:
- Job listings
- “Open to work” tag to indicate you’re seeking opportunities
- Pages showcasing companies and their open roles
- Salary comparison tool
- Option for recruiters to directly contact you
These kinds of job search and recruitment features are unique to LinkedIn. Sites like Facebook and Instagram do not cater to career networking and recruitment.
Ads and Recommendations
The ads and recommendations you see on LinkedIn tend to be career and business focused (e.g. job openings, office products, software). On other sites, ads are more random based on general interests and demographics (e.g. entertainment, fashion, travel).
Content
The content shared on LinkedIn also aligns with its professional nature compared to more casual social media.
News Feed Posts
| Platform | Typical News Feed Post Content |
|---|---|
| Industry news, career updates, professional achievements, job listings | |
| Personal news, social plans, life updates, humor, articles, videos | |
| Personal opinions, current events, links, news, humor | |
| Photos, videos, stories of personal experiences |
As shown above, the news feed content on LinkedIn is focused on professional subjects compared to the more informal, social content of other platforms.
Tone
The tone used in posts and communication on LinkedIn is generally more formal and reserved than on personal social media. Professionals maintain decorum on the platform to avoid jeopardizing their careers or reputation.
Advice and Opinions
Much of the advice and opinions shared on LinkedIn come from a place of professional expertise (e.g. career advice, business strategy). On other social media, advice and opinions tend to be more casual and anecdotal.
Demographics
LinkedIn attracts a different demographic than other major social media platforms.
Age
In terms of age groups:
- LinkedIn: age 25-34 (42%); age 35-54 (36%)
- Facebook: age 25-34 (28%); age 35-54 (26%)
- Instagram: age 18-24 (38%); age 25-34 (33%)
- Twitter: age 18-29 (41%); age 30-49 (35%)
So LinkedIn skews toward middle-aged professionals while other sites have a younger demographic.
Income
The average household income of LinkedIn users also tends to be higher:
- LinkedIn: $83,000
- Twitter: $61,000
- Facebook: $52,000
This aligns with its greater popularity among professionals and higher earning career types.
Occupations
Some top occupations on LinkedIn include:
- Higher education
- IT and services
- Corporate executives
- Finance
- Manufacturing
Whereas sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have users from all occupations.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn differentiates itself from mainstream social media in several ways:
- Professional networking purpose vs. socializing with friends/family
- Job/career focus vs. interpersonal communication
- Self-promotion vs. sharing personal updates
- Features for networking, job seeking, and recruitment
- Formal, career-focused content
- Target demographic of middle-aged, higher earning professionals
So while Facebook et al. are designed for casual socializing, LinkedIn exclusively caters to career and business connections.
