Every now and then, I see posts on LinkedIn complaining about the platform’s shift from a strictly professional space to something that increasingly resembles a general social media feed like Facebook or X. Vacation photos, emotional milestones, and personal reflections now sit alongside company updates and career moves.
While I understand the sentiment - I too prefer to maintain a certain boundary between my personal and professional life - the reality is more complex. The line between these worlds is no longer clear-cut. In fact, they’re more intertwined than ever.
So the real question isn’t whether LinkedIn should “go back” to being purely professional. It’s whether this blurring of boundaries is a problem or a natural, perhaps even necessary, evolution.
Ask any great communicator, and they’ll tell you: the best presentations are stories, not slide decks. Humans have always passed down knowledge through storytelling - not because it’s efficient, but because it’s memorable, relatable, and emotional.
But here’s the catch: a good story almost always includes a personal element - something witnessed, experienced, or felt. That means bringing your full self into the message, even in a professional context.
When we share stories in our work (in keynotes, LinkedIn posts, or strategy discussions) we’re naturally drawing from personal reservoirs. And that’s precisely what makes communication stick.
On top of that, individuals - particularly CEOs - are increasingly positioned as the face of their company. Look at Tesla, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon, or NVIDIA. Often, the CEO is more recognizable than the company itself. Their personal social media accounts command more followers than the corporate pages, and their public personas heavily influence brand perception.
This can be a strength - just look at how Jensen Huang has elevated NVIDIA’s public image - but it can also backfire. Tesla’s recent struggles, fueled in part by political controversies surrounding Elon Musk, highlight how closely a leader’s personal brand is now tied to business performance.
And this isn’t limited to CEOs. Today, employee voices often outperform corporate channels on social media, especially in smaller companies. A new hire announcement, a promotion, or even a training event shared by an individual often attracts more engagement than a formal press release.
This isn’t surprising - people connect with people. That’s why more and more organizations encourage employees to post, tag, and share. "It’s not what you know, it’s who you know" remains one of the most enduring truths in business. And "who you know" often stems from shared experiences, which, by nature, are personal.
But this too has its limits. In a world where job-hopping is common, the same person might publicly celebrate joining five different "best companies in the world" over a decade. As a result, the authenticity of those posts can start to feel questionable.
The lines blur even further when work overlaps with passion. Take my own example - I’m deeply interested in fintech and spend much of my free time reading, writing, and reflecting on the space. What I learn in those moments often finds its way into my professional work and vice-versa. It helps me grow and it benefits my company (Vyntra, also an international fintech).
So is this personal time? Professional development? Thought leadership? The boundaries are soft. And maybe that’s not a problem.
One could even argue that this blending of personal and professional life isn’t entirely new. What is new is how visible it’s become through social media. The concept of networking at events, business clubs, or industry associations has always existed. These were and still are places where business and pleasure naturally mix, and where some of the best professional opportunities emerge: attracting new clients, forming partnerships, finding suppliers, or getting free advice.
In that sense, the transformation of LinkedIn may simply be a reflection of this age-old practice. It’s not a breakdown of professionalism - it’s the evolution of how we work, connect, and communicate. And an evolution of LinkedIn as a platform itself.
After all, the future of work isn’t just digital or data-driven - it’s human. And being human means bringing our full selves to the table - stories, passions, personalities and all.
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