LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 690 million users worldwide. As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn allows users to connect with other professionals in their industry or location. When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, they become a 1st-degree connection in your network.
However, LinkedIn does not display all of your connections on your profile. There are a few reasons why LinkedIn limits the connections shown:
To Prevent Spam and Protect User Privacy
LinkedIn limits the number of connections shown to protect user privacy and prevent spamming. If all connections were visible, recruiters and sales professionals could potentially spam every connection with unwanted messages. By limiting visibility, LinkedIn allows users to choose who they want to interact with.
LinkedIn’s privacy settings allow users to customize exactly who can see their connections. Under the “Visibility” tab in Settings, you can choose options like:
- Your connections are only visible to your 1st-degree connections
- Your connections are visible to 2nd and 3rd-degree connections
- Your connections are visible to everyone on LinkedIn
The more visible your connections, the more prone to unsolicited outreach you become. LinkedIn’s default setting is only showing connections to 1st-degree connections to optimize privacy.
To Encourage Interaction on the Platform
LinkedIn also limits connections to encourage more engagement on the platform between users. With all connections visible, users could directly contact anyone within their network without interacting on LinkedIn.
By making only 1st-degree connections visible, LinkedIn promotes the use of features like relationship building, content sharing, and messaging within their platform. This creates an active user base that generates more data and value for LinkedIn.
To Limit Strain on Servers
Displaying all connections for every LinkedIn user would also create a massive strain on LinkedIn’s servers. Consider that many users have 500+ connections in their network. If all of those connections were loaded at once for every profile view, it could significantly slow down LinkedIn’s performance.
Software engineers balance speed and efficiency with functionality. Showing only 1st-degree connections allows profiles to load faster while still providing enough visibility to be useful.
To Encourage Paid Subscriptions
LinkedIn also limits connections visibility to encourage users to upgrade to premium paid subscriptions. Subscriptions like Job Seeker, Recruiter Lite, Sales Navigator, and Premium Career allow you to search and view more connections beyond just 1st-degree.
Key premium features include:
- See who has viewed your profile
- Unlimited profile views of others
- Expanded network visibility
- Advanced filtering and search
- InMail messages
By limiting non-paying members, LinkedIn incentivizes professionals to upgrade their accounts to gain more access and leverage the platform.
Network Statistics
Here are some statistics on median LinkedIn network size by industry and role:
Industry | Median Connections |
---|---|
Software & Technology | 553 |
Media & Communications | 612 |
Finance | 632 |
Manufacturing | 417 |
Healthcare | 508 |
Role | Median Connections |
---|---|
Director | 677 |
Manager | 612 |
Entry-level | 412 |
Student | 288 |
Business Owner | 721 |
As shown above, industries like Finance and Media tend to have larger networks, likely due to higher employee churn rates meaning more connections made over one’s career. Higher level roles also correlate to larger networks from longer careers.
Tips for Growing Your Network
If you want to expand your LinkedIn network beyond just 1st-degree connections, here are some tips:
- Connect with colleagues from previous jobs – stay in touch with former coworkers
- Join industry or local LinkedIn Groups – connect with group members with common interests
- Engage on content from peers – like/comment on posts to establish new ties
- Follow companies you want to work for – connect with employees and watch for openings
- Utilize advanced filters in job searches – uncover 2nd and 3rd-degree connections at target companies
- Upgrade to a premium account – gain visibility beyond just 1st-degree connections
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn limits the connections shown on your profile for privacy, efficiency, engagement, and revenue reasons. While you can only see your 1st-degree connections by default, there are settings and strategies to expand your network visibility if desired. With over 690 million users, LinkedIn strikes a balance between utility and functionality for optimal professional networking.