LinkedIn’s feed shows updates from your connections and pages you follow. Unlike social networks like Facebook and Twitter that show posts in strict reverse chronological order, LinkedIn intentionally mixes up the order of posts in your feed using an algorithm. This can make it seem like your LinkedIn feed is not chronological even though every post has a timestamp. There are a few reasons why LinkedIn does this and ways you can try to see more timely posts if you prefer a strictly chronological feed.
Why Does LinkedIn Use an Algorithmic Feed?
LinkedIn chooses to show posts algorithmically rather than chronologically for a few key reasons:
- To show the most relevant content at the top – LinkedIn’s algorithm aims to sort posts based on what it thinks you’re most likely to be interested in interacting with. So you may see posts from connections you engage with more regularly higher up.
- To give fair exposure to posters – By mixing up the order, posts from less active connections are more likely to be seen rather than always pushed down by frequent posters.
- To encourage engagement – LinkedIn wants to show you content you’re more likely to like, comment on, and share to boost overall engagement on the platform.
So in summary, LinkedIn prioritizes relevance over strict chronological order to optimize your feed experience and engagement on the platform.
How Does LinkedIn’s Feed Algorithm Work?
While LinkedIn doesn’t publicly share the exact details of its feed algorithm, they have revealed some of the general factors it takes into account when ranking feed posts:
- Your connections – Posts from people you’re connected with are typically favored.
- Your interactions – Content from connections you frequently engage with may be ranked higher.
- Post popularity – LinkedIn analyzes likes, comments, and reshares to gauge content quality.
- Post recency – More recent posts get a slight boost, but recency isn’t the only factor.
- Post frequency – To prevent overload from frequent posters, each new post has diminishing returns.
So the feed algorithm balances multiple signals – who posted, the engagement a post gets, when it was shared, as well as how often the poster shares, along with other undisclosed factors.
How to View Posts in Chronological Order
If you prefer seeing posts in timely chronological order, there are a couple ways to access this view in LinkedIn:
Sort By Recent
When viewing your LinkedIn feed, look for the “Sort by recent” filter at the top:
Clicking this will reorder posts strictly by recency, showing the most recently shared posts at the top.
This lets you scroll through your feed chronologically, viewing content in the order it was posted.
Filter to Specific Connections
Another option is to filter your LinkedIn feed to only show updates from specific connections.
To do this:
- Click the “All updates” filter at the top of your feed.
- Select “Your connections” from the dropdown.
- Start typing the name of the connection whose posts you want to see.
- Select their name to filter just their posts.
With this filtered view, you’ll only see posts from that connection in chronological order.
You can do this for up to 3 connections at once to view timely updates from just those key people.
Potential Downsides of a Chronological Feed
While a chronological feed gives you greater control and recency, there are some potential drawbacks to keep in mind:
May Miss Relevant Content
When sorted manually or filtered, LinkedIn’s algorithmic curation no longer bumps up posts likely to interest you based on your profile and activity. So you may miss engaging posts that you would have otherwise noticed higher up.
Reduced Exposure for Less Active Connections
Seeing posts purely by recency also means you’re likely to miss updates from connections who post less frequently. Their posts can get buried underneath more active connections.
Decreased Engagement
Research has shown that algorithmic feeds lead to more likes, comments, and sharing compared to chronological feeds. So you may have fewer meaningful interactions if you only view posts chronologically.
Requires Manual Adjustment
The chronological views aren’t persistent across your LinkedIn visits. Each time you return to LinkedIn, you’ll have to re-sort or re-filter to view posts chronologically.
Best Practices for LinkedIn’s Algorithmic Feed
While algorithmic feeds have their downsides, they do aim to show you relevant content you’re more likely to care about. Here are some best practices for getting the most out of LinkedIn’s algorithmic sorting:
Check for Timely Updates Frequently
Get in the habit of frequently clicking “Sort by recent” to check for any timely posts you may have missed. You can toggle back and forth quickly.
Follow Key Connections Closely
Use post filtering to pay close attention to updates from your top connections. Check their posts in chronological order.
Comment and Like Posts Wisely
Thoughtfully like and comment on posts that interest you. This helps train the algorithm over time.
Share Valuable Content
Posting engaging, useful content that gets interactions will boost your reach in your connections’ feeds.
Monitor Notifications
Opt into notifications for comments and mentions to stay on top of timely activity on your posts.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
See latest updates quickly | May miss algorithmically relevant posts |
Full control over post order | Less exposure for inactive connections |
Easily toggle views | Typically lower engagement |
The Future of LinkedIn’s Feed
LinkedIn has noted they are looking at ways to optimize feed relevance while providing chronological options.
Some potential features that could arrive to balance relevance and timeliness:
- Persistent feed sorting settings
- Feed filters for posts from the past day, week, or month
- A hybrid algorithm factoring in recency more heavily
- Separate feeds for algorithmic and chronological views
With user feedback, LinkedIn may evolve their feed to give greater control over timeliness while still leveraging algorithms to showcase meaningful content.
Conclusion
LinkedIn departs from purely chronological feeds in an effort to highlight the most relevant and engaging content algorithmically. While this loses some timeliness, it surfaces posts you’re more likely to care about based on your profile and activity. Taking advantage of sorting and filtering options allows you to peek behind the algorithm to view timely posts when needed. And engaging thoughtfully with content helps the algorithm learn over time. So leverage both relevant algorithmic suggestions and chronological views to get the most out of your LinkedIn feed.