Questions
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How long have you been using this app?
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What initially was the reason for you downloading the app?
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How often do you log on and use the app?
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Do you find that you have had more success with jobs and connections using this app?
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What do you like most about the app? What is something that you could critique about the app?
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There is this idea called bonding that occurs on social media platforms. It occurs through things like sharing stories about personal life and struggles via social media. This creates a community of like-minded people that have similar morals. Do you believe that this idea is occurring on social media generally speaking? How has this impacted your ability for job searching and success personally? Do you think that this can create a problem on social media if it goes too far?
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Social media celebrity culture is a big topic now and many people make their income via media. How do you think follows and likes affect people's mindset on social media for the average user and the users making a profit? How can this be helpful? How can this be problematic?
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Where do you think people should draw the line when it comes to obsessing over social media?
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We know social media and LinkedIn in particular can become “toxic” and cause others to compare successes of one another. This comparativeness can have detrimental effects on people's lives and mental states. Do you think in the time period we live in now it is necessary to obsess over social media and our success on it?
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How do you think LinkedIn compares to other media like Instagram, Twitter, Youtube etc. in regards to using multimodal text to build connections?
Testimonials
Maren (Via iMessage Memo)
1. I've been using LinkedIn for 2 years. I downloaded it because of a competition called Stunburg my college hosted.
2. I log in a couple of times a week and sometimes ill be on it more than other days to check connections.
3. Nothing can beat face-to-face. However, I feel like if I need to reach out to the people on LinkedIn, I could.
3. I like you can see what people are working on and their work. I would critique LinkedIn Premium because It closes off your circle more because you cannot reach out to as many people.
4. I see bonding over mainstream media in general. I do think It can create a problem because it can cause an issue with open communication and causes pressure if someone wants to categorize themselves in a certain topic. It's hard to put yourself out there with something when you think others are doing it better than you, people are very judgy and it can create a community that makes people shy away.
5. People that are higher up in companies don't want to talk to the general public. For me, I wanted to go for creative jobs but they close that circle for a reason so that the general doesn't come and mess things up.
6. The users making a profit probably aren't being genuine most of the time. For the general person, there is pressure to adhere to a certain look or say certain things to be associated with a certain group. The Kardashians for example, people want to look or act like them to appear a certain way.
7. It discourages individuality
8. When you start becoming obsessed with likes or follows. I like that Instagram allows you to turn off like count.
8. Obsessing over social media should stop but it is not easy to do.
9. LinkedIn is the same but also different because you can brag but it's also a place to get business done. As an entrepreneur where I can connect with people in business development and marking sales and potently get someone to be a part of a team. So if you are obsessing over a selfie it's not healthy but if you are obsessing over a creative project it's easier to get your mind off of it.
Carson (Via Email)
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Connect with other professionals and search for jobs and internships..
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I look daily to see if any recruiters have reached out for me. I usually look at it during work as well for a few minutes. At times, people in similar professions post their tips/tricks with some technical skills.
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Yes, with my most recent internship and have just gotten my first full-time offer with a company.
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I like the ability to connect with professionals without it being too casual. I don’t like that people can become LinkedIn influencers though.
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Yes. I believe that having the perspective of a corporate/work setting in social media is unique and no other social media has this.
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Yes the app has gave me success personally but through hard work of reaching out to recruiters and building my page. But, I think it can become a problem if users post on controversial issues where an employer or coworker may not like.
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I think it can be helpful to have social media where users can help each other with work-setting related difficulties. But, it can be problematic as users may focus too much of their time on this social media instead of actually working
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I think that ensuring that you’re not on it all the time. Being on a social media too much affects your brain and gives you feel-good chemicals on your brain. Limiting the use and detoxing allows for better habits.
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I believe in moderation this social media is good. If it becomes obsessive, users should step away from looking at other peoples works and focus on theirselves. This goes for any social media.
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LinkedIn leads in providing connection because of the service it provides by connecting and messaging other people. Being able to directly ask a recruiter without personally being their friend goes along way. As well, showcasing your work without being directly connected to someone (like on IG or Facebook) allows your job search to be easier and more efficient.
Helen (Via Email)
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1 year
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For finding internships and future possible jobs
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Many options but the qualities
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I think it is a good way to find a job fit for us, but there are some risks to spoils our privacy and secrets out.
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I log in sometimes
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I didn’t find any successful connections yet.
Conclusion
As we know previous 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 that you 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.