'It all just smells fake': Reddit's job seekers on why they hate LinkedIn but cannot quit it
A post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell has put into words something that a large number of professionals quietly feel but rarely say: LinkedIn is exhausting, performative, and increasingly difficult to take seriously. However, many feel like they cannot leave.
The original poster has an account but finds the platform cringe-worthy, describing a feed full of AI-generated inspirational posts, manufactured realisations, and breathless event recaps that “smell fake and superficial.” They acknowledged they are probably not alone, and framed LinkedIn less as a genuine professional community and more as a mandatory career accessory.
What Reddit said
The thread arrived at a consensus quickly. “LinkedIn is the worst form of social media,” one commenter wrote. Another called it “clownery in the form of social media.”
Several commenters identified specific features of the platform that drive the frustration. “There were recent reports that a majority of LinkedIn posts are AI slop, so that may explain the fakeness and superficiality,” one noted.
Another named the self-promotional culture directly: “The continuous self-glazing is nauseating.”
One commenter added a dimension that went beyond content quality. “I have weird relatives stalking me on LinkedIn because they probably guessed I’m currently unemployed and enjoy living off my misery. I’m also not on any other social media apps. I’m so close to deleting my account entirely. Just hoping to get a job before I do that.”
Others pointed to the platform’s job listings as a separate source of frustration: “I hate LinkedIn for that reason and their fake job listings.”
In a job market where candidates are already navigating AI screening, ghost listings, and automated rejections, encountering the same artificiality on the networking side of the equation adds to the exhaustion the original poster described. At the end of the day, LinkedIn is a tool with its merits and downsides, but it’s understandable how people may feel that it’s off-putting given the quality of content that’s being delivered on the platform.
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to get more stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Writer