LinkedIn Part 2

Through the process of extensive research at the Leatherby Libraries and beyond, I have come to a conclusion about “where we are at as a culture in documenting our understanding of the platform…”(DA #3 instruction page). MarketLine Company Profile: LinkedIn Corporation was one of the first sources I came across and includes a vast variety of information on the corporation of LinkedIn and what comes together to make it function everywhere from the company overview and business description to major products and services and top competitors. Linkedin For Business & You is a second source that is in the reference guide format which leads and educates readers on “all they need to know” about the company in the shortest amount of time. It shows you how to do a variety of actions as a beginner not knowing a lot about “what LinkedIn is” like setting up a profile on the site and strategies/ concepts one is suggested to follow in order to gain the most opportunities through the app. Vulnerability in Massive API Scraping: 2021 LinkedIn Data Breach is a third source that can be found in the Leatherby Libraries that is different from the above two in that it discusses a flaw in the system of the company that occurred just last year in 2021. It was written to inform people about the massive leak of information through LinkedIn that left 90% of user’s personal information embedded in the website/app leaked. Another purpose is to educate individuals on how to protect their information before a breach of information like this one occurs or recognize the signs of one in order to “attack” it. All in all, the first two sources follow a similar way of presenting facts and tips on the use of LinkedIn in a brief, easily accessible, format with a sidebar to click on categories. While the last source listed is also informational, it is less for the promotion of the company, but almost a warning of it and other apps as well in which users offer up so much of their personal data without taking the suggested safety and protection precautions. 

    The first source I found from the New York Times goes into detail about what the company LinkedIn does with their users’ private information behind the scenes. It also goes into detail about the experiments they run with this information and how they have found that users with “…relatively weak social ties on LinkedIn proved twice as effective in securing employment as stronger social ties” (LinkedIn Ran Social Experiments on 20 Million Users Over Five Years, Singer). The article also goes into detail how their company’s research has shown that LinkedIn is one of the most helpful social media apps in building connections to find success. The second source I came across from the New York Times, How LinkedIn Became a Place to Overshare, explains to readers the transformation the company’s use over time. It goes into detail about how LinkedIn was created to be a place where people “share[d] résumés and connect[ed] with co-workers [and]... later added a newsfeed …[which led to] 830 million users who [now] generate about 8 million posts and comments every day” (How LinkedIn Became a Place to Overshare, Kelley). The final website source from Forbes, How To Accelerate The 'Know, Like And Trust' Factor With A LinkedIn Profile Video, was written to showcase and educate LinkedIn users on their newest feature; profile videos. It explains how this feature adds a more personal way to showcase yourself through your profile page on the site. It shows how much one’s information and resume can now be elevated through this media form of introduction on LinkedIn. 

   Through the metaphor of Burke's “Unending Conversation,” individuals are called to recognize that the information included in these articles from the library and beyond were only completely relevant in the time they were published. This does not mean what was included was not accurate or factual, but in an ever changing society, the statistics become now past ones with each day that passes and adjustments are made to improve upon the company. This shows that at the time of publication, the information was the most up to date as it had been before, and now other ones have since been put out to take its place in a more updated manner.

Group Conclusion:

As we know prior to LinkedIn the way to make connections and gather jobs was through the newspaper and the Yellowbook, now we have social media apps like LinkedIn. This app allows us to ultimately connect with one another faster and with more information as well as attempt to refrain from bias. With regards to our testimonials on parts two and three, we are able to conclude that the majority of people use LinkedIn to build themselves a professional resume. We learned that they went about using this app for two reasons, one being that their higher education required them to. Secondly, they heard that is what you are supposed to do if you want to get a job. This note is important because it shows how we communicate in our culture now in regard to getting a job in society and how we present our professional selves to society.Many times testimonials prefer job searching and pairing their own qualifications and skills with LinkedIn because they deem it easier and more efficient. The role LinkedIn has on the user is to incorporate and manage the outlines of every job opportunity so that the workplace has a common platform to search and find contenders, who are both able to communicate thoroughly and handle any task for the respective job on a social level. Most interviewees stated that they enjoyed the multimodal app and the diverse ability to present yourself in many different ways on it. There are some critiques of the app. One issue that was brought up often was the issue with LinkedIn premium. There was a general consensus that premium prevents the users from being able to fully use the app to its fullest potential. It can prevent job opportunities and missed connections that could be critical for their future professional endeavors. The culture in today’s society is to “hustle” when it comes to success in the workplace. Most liked the efficiency of LinkedIn and the ability to “hustle” on the platform but they believe that in-person is much more valuable. We can understand that the necessity of apps like LinkedIn is due to the societal pressure put on getting a successful job out of college. The obsession over social media in regards to LinkedIn was looked at in a way thatyou need to be in control of your obsession with media in general. The interviewees stated that you should be able to have enough self-control to make sure you are using the app appropriately and intentionally. Overall, most users log in almost daily, enjoy using the app and use the app with purpose. 

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Group Member Website Links:

https://yoyoeven7.wixsite.com/discourse-analysis

https://skurth4.wixsite.com/discourse-analysis/copy-of-da-2

https://imelendez32.wixsite.com/isabella-s-discourse/general-4

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Leatherby Library Sources:

https://discovery-ebsco-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/c/wnnu3f/viewer/pdf/kxpybv7bef

https://viewer-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/EbscoViewerService/ebook?an=1534123&callbackUrl=https%3a%2f%2fdiscovery.ebsco.com&db=nlebk&format=EB&profId=eds2&lpid=&ppid=&lang=en&location=https%3a%2f%2fdiscovery-ebsco-com.libproxy.chapman.edu%2fc%2fwnnu3f%2fdetails%2fhby23nes7v%3fq%3dlinkedin&isPLink=False&requestContext=

https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.libproxy.chapman.edu/document/9799221

Website Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/linkedin-social-experiments.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/business/linkedin-overshare.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2022/09/20/how-to-accelerate-the-know-like-and-trust-factor-with-a-linkedin-profile-video/?sh=4447009f6590