Social media on average is used as a social tool to stay connected with other people, such as staying up to date on other’s lives and important events, or to use use it to stay updated about current news. Regardless, it is most commonly a tool to stay connected with others and the world around you. In 2003, the innovation of LinkedIn would come to impact the way we think of and use social media. This innovation, or idea, practice, or object that is considered new to people, would make professional connections and networking online an important practice in the contemporary professional environment, even on a global scale.
LinkedIn is an online social network site that launched in 2003 and serves as an online professional network. It is used to establish and build professional relationships among prospective and current employers and employees and can also be used as a means of finding employment or providing an easily accessible professional profile to employers. Currently, it is the most successful networking site of its kind.
As the site grew, so did its rate of adoption. At its launch in 2003, the site had about 4,500 users and today it has upwards of 660 million users worldwide. LinkedIn’s adoption rate is “…highest among the middle age groups of 25–29 (44%) and 30–49 (37%) with adoption among the age group 18–24 (17%) seeing a decline from 2018”. These statistics are most likely due to LinkedIn being more popular among adults who have at least a college degree, which makes up 51% of the user base. Additionally, this professional networking site is still seeing an increase in adoption rates, although the focus of the site has shifted as “…LinkedIn is no longer a social network. With 660 million people, it’s not a social network. It’s a social marketplace”, where people, you as a professional, are the product and is now considered the modern-day yellow-pages; employers now pay to access candidates information whereas previously they bought space to advertise their presence.
Sites such as LinkedIn utilize the mass media’s ability to spread new information among users, and being that “the attributes of the innovation or information being diffused affect its rate of adoption…” (Barnett, George. Diffusion Theories: Logic and Role of Media, pg. 357), it is no surprise that as the site adapts to reflect people’s desire to easily connect with employers and vice versa, the rate of adoption continues to increase as it is compatible with existing values. LinkedIn is also thought of as a superior way for employers and prospective employees to market their availability which gives it a relative advantage.
LinkedIn is still an important professional tool that is utilized by companies small and large, so it may not be a bad idea to hop on the professional bandwagon and create a profile if you haven’t already, or at the very least make sure to keep your existing profile up to date. You never know, your dream job may only be one online connection away from being fully realized.