Is LinkedIn a dating site? No. But Some Try
An increasing number of female LinkedIn users receive inappropriate proposals via LinkedIn. Some people use the social network designed to help in career development as a place to find a partner or an adventure.
According to the new Passport Photo Online study, an alarmingly high number of women having an account on the platform experienced unwanted attention that is more suitable for dating apps.
Is LinkedIn a new Tinder?
Most users treat LinkedIn as a kind of virtual CV or a space where they can build professional relationships with their communities. In other words, LinkedIn is a place where people show their professional faces.
However, the above mentioned study presents some other ways users – mostly male – use LinkedIn’s functionality. All in all, asking for nude pictures isn’t related to the professional sphere, don’t you think?
The study is a result of surveying more than a thousand US female LinkedIn users. They were asked about their experiences with receiving inappropriate messages and how they reacted to them.
The results are alarming. Even 91 percent of the respondents received an inappropriate message on LinkedIn. Every fourth female user claims they receive such messages too often – daily or almost every day.
More than 30 percent of these messages touch the issues like dating or even more directly – having sex. Almost the same amount of inappropriate messages are about sharing private or intimate information, such as phone numbers or addresses.
How do women react to romantic advances via LinkedIn?
How do women react to such improper signals? Well, the most frequent feelings among the surveyed are annoyance (15%), indifference (13%), and confusion (13%), followed by distress, discomfort, and feeling of being violated.
43 percent of surveyed women decide to write back and inform the user that he crossed the red line. The second most used tactic is ignoring such a message. 17 percent of female LinkedIn users receiving inappropriate messages decide to report or block the user.
Should LinkedIn worry about these trends? In short – yes. According to the study results, more than 74% of respondents decided to disengage or limit their activity on the platform due to receiving romantic advances or inappropriate messages. As we can see, dating on LinkedIn not only impacts women but can negatively affect the platform itself.
LinkedIn: a job interview or a date?
The fact that women on Linkedin receive inappropriate and indecent proposals is part of a broader phenomenon that has been going on for several years. According to people who make such complaints, some LinkedIn users use this platform to find a partner – either permanently or just as part of a one-night adventure.
What is the reason for such behavior of LinkedIn users? The report’s authors speculate that it is about the sense of anonymity that is characteristic of social media – and the Internet in general. For many users, LinkedIn is just another portal, which is conducive to greater courage in making friends – also those not related to the professional sphere.
In extreme cases, this courage leads to behavior that would be impossible in face-to-face contact. Sometimes users also cross borders, which would not happen in real life.
Every problem should be addressed. Therefore, 39% of surveyed LinkedIn users claim that increasing awareness and education about appropriate behavior should become a platform’s priority. Other solutions include implementing stricter guidelines and policies (agreed by more than 25% of surveyed women), and an instant ban for sending inappropriate messages.
