Why Is Everyone So F*cking "Thrilled" on LinkedIn?

There seems to be a shortage of ways in the English language for human beings to give news on LinkedIn.

“I am thrilled to announce” “I am so excited to announce” “I am thrilled to share” “

…says hundreds of millions of people.

But are you? Is there no other way to share news?

Here’s what makes this particularly frustratingright now: We’re experiencing the worst year for layoffs since the Great Recession. Job openings are at their lowest level since September 2020. Companies are citing AI as the reason for 7,624 cuts in January alone.

And in response to this genuinely terrifying labor market reality, we’re all performing enthusiasm! Writing the same sanitized announcements that sound like they came from your Grandpa’s Facebook.

The disconnect is staggering.

What We’re Actually Losing

When everyone says the same thing, we lose the ability to signal what actually matters. If everyone is “thrilled” about everything, then how do I know when you’re actually thrilled versus when you’re just following the LinkedIn playbook? We’re flattening human experience into corporate-speak at exactly the moment when human experience should be the differentiator.

Here’s what I mean: imagine you’re looking at 3 posts.

Post A: “I’m thrilled to announce I’ve accepted a new position at XYZ Corp. Excited for this next chapter!”

Post B: “I'm joining a company that's building something I'd actually use myself. First time I've been able to say that."

Post C: “This promotion means I can finally pay off my student loans. Genuinely relieved."

Which person would you remember? Which person would you want to grab coffee with? Which person sounds like an actual human you might want to work with? You'd pick Post B or C, right? Turns out, so would LinkedIn's algorithm. The very platform that created this problem is now trying to fight it."

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LinkedIn Created This Monster

LinkedIn's algorithm underwent a major shift between September and November 2024, deprioritizing what they call polished corporate announcements in favor of 'knowledge sharing and professional conversations'. The algorithm now evaluates factors like first-person narrative voice vs. third-person announcements, with LinkedIn claiming it's trying to 'detect and reward humanity' and 'reduce AI-generated content.'

So how’s that working out for them? Well…not good! As of October 2024, 54% of long-form posts on LinkedIn are AI-generated. AI-generated posts surged 189% right after ChatGPT launched at the end of 2022. So despite claiming that those AI-generated posts get 45% less engagement than human-written ones, we’re officially using robots to write our posts...

….which makes us sound less human

…which then makes people engage less

…which makes the algorithm suppress us further.

Long story short: It’s a death spiral of inauthenticity!

The “Professionalism” Excuse Doesn’t Hold Up

I know what you’re thinking: “But Madison, we have to be professional!”

Do we? Or have we just collectively agreed that “professional” means “sounds like a robot?

I really do understand the genuine enthusiasm of a promotion or new title or moving on to another company. I get it deeply. But the argument that being honest could put your career at risk is relative. You can absolutely share what XYZ job did for YOU in an honest, vulnerable, way that does not put your job in jeopardy. Just your ego (dare I say!)

You have to brave the feeling that maybe someone will think less of you, and reality is…so what? But more honestly, no one really cares.

Here are some examples. What if you said?:

• “This role lets me work remotely, which means I get to move closer to my family”

• “I finally get to use the skills I’ve been dying to use for years”

• “This company’s values actually align with mine, which feels like a luxury”

• “After years of pitching this idea internally and getting nowhere, I found a company that's already building it. Let's go!"

These are honest. These are vulnerable. These are also completely professional.

The Opportunity Cost

We’re living through a legitimately historic moment. We’re all navigating genuinely uncertain terrain.

And our response is to... perform corporate optimism. To hit “generate with AI” and post the same generic enthusiasm everyone else is posting.

What a f*cking waste.

This could be the moment when LinkedIn becomes actually useful. When people share real insights about navigating career transitions in an AI-disrupted economy. When we crowdsource actual strategies for dealing with industry upheaval. When we build genuine professional communities instead of everyone performing the same corporate theater.

In the age of AI slop and jobs disappearing, why wouldn’t we be a touch more…human? Genuine? Open? Considerate?! I mean if we’re all about to work 3 days a week and be broke with no future prospects, isn’t the one thing we actually have going for us…our brains? Our sense of humanity? EMOTIONS>

I bet in years to come, the bravest people in this world will no longer be doctors and lawyers but people who are honest on the internet…Who find a way to hold on to their integrity of being human and find the courage to share what’s really going on.

So, the next time you’re about to post “I’am THRILLED to announce,” ask yourself:

“What would Madison think of me?”

Just kidding. I don’t care. But YOU should care.

How about sharing, what are you actually feeling? What would you tell your best friend about this news? What's the real story here?

And then consider: “well, what if I just... said that?”