1. I began writing actively on Linkedin since 2018. I still remember I was i the airport, on our way to Manila, a friend by the name of Bavani told me that I should be more active on Linkedin. I had been actively writing on Facebook back then, and she told me that what I wrote on Facebook was perfect for LinkedIn (I remembered that impostor syndrome was what made me not write on LinkedIn - fear of people judging me).
2. But when I started to post, I noticed that people started to engage with my posts. Some strangers commented and later we became friends. That motivates me to write more on that platform.
3. I began to look into the behaviour of that platform (read: algorithm), what makes certain posts went viral and what not. I noticed it behaves slightly differently from Facebook. So I wrote for the audience on Linkedin, and their mindset on the platform.
4. In 2019 and 2020, I was listed as The 100 Icons on Linkedin that you should follow, by Marketing in Asia. Those days, this kind of ranking had a huge impact and everybody listed was very proud of it. They put the title on their profile (including mine). But after 2020, I noticed there were no such rankings anymore.
5. But recently, I began to write less on Linkedin. Not only on Linkedin, but in so many other platform. I have so many things to say, but I just didn't wrote them. And I reflected why? Did I lose my motivation? Or did things change around me?
6. After some thoughts that I jotted down on paper, I think there are several factors:
7. First of all, social media is so addictive, that I think I spend more time scrolling than creating. The moment I want to just check the notifications (I get a lot, but not like before - notifications are more about what I like and what's happening, rather than the engagement I receive from my content). But when I opened up the notification, I spent perhaps half an hour or several hours sticking to the other contents that pushed to me, based on my interest (such as guitar, personal development, business, some politics and geo-politics etc.) When I stop scrolling, I couldn't even remember what I should post.
8. Secondly, too many platforms are available out there, and each platform has its own behavior. I wanted to create content on all platforms, but ended up creating none.
9. Thirdly, I noticed algorithm changes. Not as much engagement on Linkedin as it used to. One post after several hours will have 22 impressions. Which is kinda demotivating.
10. Fourthly, on Linkedin, too many people utilize AI. In the past, people wrote it based on what they would write. It is more authentic. Now, with AI writing, I feel it is a bit tiring and soulless. It is too perfect, including emoticons that line-up perfectly for each point they wanted to say. (I wonder if we were to choose emoticons, it is really time-consuming). And the lessons are very generic, rather than purely reflective.
11. Fifth, I think Linkedin has gone too commercial now. Boosted posts that I saw like every time. And boosted posts are not something that actually interests me, but are being pushed because someone has money to spend.
12. On the other hand, I noticed that my own behaviour. I should not have allowed myself to be addicted to the algorithm such as Facebook Shorts, which is time-consuming with the illusion of learning (feels like I learn a lot, but I learn nothing).
13. Secondly, I am writing to chase likes and comments. If I were genuinely writing, I should just write even if nobody is reading it. Writing sharpens a person's mind. Engagement is just the outcome or the result of it. I received a lot of benefits from writing since the days of Blogspot which I began in 2006.
14. Writing on social media to me is often the 'Ugly First Draft' (as mentioned by Ann Handley in her book Everybody Writes). It is often the beginning of an idea that sparks, and perhaps I could refine it and use it in my future books or speaking engagements.
15. In conclusion, I think that writing is already part of me. And I should continue to write, be it on Linkedin, Facebook or any other platform. Even on Blogspot. Because writing is the way I express my point-of-view (POV). Without writing, it is hard to develop our own POV, and this POV is what makes us authentic.
#johanirwan
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