New research finds that LinkedIn can trigger imposter syndrome

LinkedIn, the top professional social networking site, has revolutionised the professional world by facilitating networking and career opportunities. With over a billion users, it is a platform that caters to both students and working professionals seeking career advancements, connections, and industry-related knowledge.

However, like all social media platforms, LinkedIn presents a distorted reality. It showcases an unending barrage of cherry-picked moments from one’s professional life. These embellished achievements foster a hustle culture that promotes relentless grinding to excel and be productive. LinkedIn usage exacerbates negative feelings such as anxiety, depression, and the sinking feeling of falling short of goals, triggering Imposter Syndrome. A new study broadens the understanding of the emotional effects of LinkedIn, revealing how scrolling and posting on the platform induce Imposter Syndrome in its users.

What is Imposter Syndrome?
Have you ever been plagued by mental monologues of ‘not being enough’ or ‘everyone’s better than me’? These thoughts of feeling like a fraud stem from the discrepancy in self-image. Imposter Syndrome is the inability to perceive and acknowledge your achievements as legitimate, spiralling into undeserving guilt. You harbour immense self-doubt about your hard-earned achievements, seeing yourself as a phoney while believing others overestimate your competency and are better than you. It’s that venomous voice in your head that condemns your success, calling it a fluke or simply fooling everyone.

Phoney achievements
Social comparison based on professional success is pervasive on LinkedIn and can evoke envy, anxiety, and inadequacy. Success is a universal parameter for social comparison, and LinkedIn is a popular measure of success. Your LinkedIn profile shows how fast you are climbing the ladder and where you stand against others in that race. However, the attainment of professional goals may not be ecstatic for everyone. With loud achievements plastered everywhere, your small win feels inadequate, and you convince yourself that you don’t deserve it. Posting on LinkedIn is like navigating a minefield, with the potential for Imposter Syndrome to blow up in your face and shred your success at any moment.

It is an idealised world that tempts everyone to bedeck their achievements with exaggerations and jargon. It’s enticing to seize the impressions, but your perception soon morphs the innocuous celebratory post into something like gloating and you feel fake. Depression, anxiety, and feelings of inferiority surface even when one simply browses LinkedIn, in awe of others’ success and belittling their achievements. Researchers recommend humanising the posts by sharing both setbacks and successes to be more relatable.

Silver Lining
To mitigate the overwhelming Imposter Syndrome, the researchers found that LinkedIn users with Imposter Syndrome are up-skilling themselves and aiming to enhance their professional skills. Users with Imposter Syndrome are more likely to respond to courses that claim to alleviate these negative feelings, rather than those that promise excellence. This is a psychological strategy to reduce uncomfortable cognitive dissonance by improving oneself.

This highlights the need to be genuine on LinkedIn. With the right mindset, this professional networking site has the potential to be the pedestal for your career. LinkedIn is not as bitter as your Imposter Syndrome may make it seem; it’s a powerful tool to jumpstart your career. Don’t let that dubious voice in your head dampen your achievements. Instead, let it guide and improve you.