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Of all social networking sites, who would’ve thought this is the one to have a dirty little secret? I suppose it makes sense; It’s always the clean comedians or the actors that star in kid’s movies that are the creepiest; people who look like they can do no wrong.
I had no idea LinkedIn was Creepy…
I want to start by first saying I had NO idea this was happening. Like most social trends, I was completely oblivious. I thought LinkedIn was the primmest and most proper social network that exists.
I can’t imagine the weirdo who’s like ‘oh yeah look at her in that blazer with that turtleneck. Oh, she says she’s a team player, I like that.’
When I was told about LinkedIn stalking, I naively thought they meant recruiters who were just so determined to get you on their team that they viewed your page a lot.
Turns out I was WAY off…
How did it not occur to me that having the location of your workplace, your life story, and your FACE could be a gold mine for creepy people with internet access?
I always thought those “Congrats on your work anniversary” messages were super cringy but never knew they were pick-up lines. Yikes. On LinkedIn, “Congrats on your work anniversary” is the new “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
Some creepy men use LinkedIn to stalk people they’ve matched with on dating apps. Turns out, with only their first name and location, it can be very easy to find someone on LinkedIn.
I just started learning how to optimize keywords on LinkedIn to get even more views. Meanwhile, some women don’t want their profiles seen by anyone, and this is generally to limit harassment.
LinkedIn Has Weak Privacy Settings
I had no idea LinkedIn’s privacy settings suck. LinkedIn doesn't offer an option to block individual users.
That’s crazy!
Apparently, you have to hinder your chances of finding a job if you also want to be less susceptible to stalkers.
My question is: why wouldn’t they include the ability to restrict individual users? It should be your right as a user, just as it is on any other social media platform. You’re sharing your name, location, and where people can find you every Monday-Friday from 9-5. That’s too much information for the guy you got a frozen yogurt with one time to know.
Some creeps even pretend to have lucrative opportunities just so they can creep on young women. In this economy, pretending to have a job available is cruel in itself.
A girl who faced a lot of harassment on LinkedIn started an online petition on Change.org asking LinkedIn to improve its privacy settings. Over 5,000 people have signed, including many other victims of LinkedIn stalkers.
When I was in a high school business class and we made LinkedIn profiles, no one ever told us to watch out for stalkers, and I was only seventeen. That’s scary.
If I do have dudes hitting on me on LinkedIn, they must think I’m playing hard to get because I rarely ever check my notifications.
At Least I’m Aware Now
I guess I had too much faith that LinkedIn was purely a professional network. I naively believed that everyone on there was really just looking for someone who could create a mean spreadsheet. I’m surprised that many people use LinkedIn for the wrong reasons. I’m also surprised that it took me until the age of 25 to realize this.
Truthfully, I don’t know how to fix this problem. But at least now I’m aware of it, and you are too.
Hopefully, LinkedIn creates an option to block specific users. Or maybe they can do what Facebook did and just create a spin-off LinkedIn Dating App (you thought hinge dates were boring).
Either way, this is a serious matter, women-or anyone- seeking career growth shouldn’t have to feel unsafe.