Background
When I first joined LinkedIn, I was eager to add new connections and sent out requests to anyone who seemed interesting. Granted, this was also before LinkedIn added their "creator mode" (follow me) which allows following other users without adding them as a two-way connection. Social media was new, and I was new to my career, so I very much had a "more the merrier" approach to how I made connections online.
I wanted that "500+ connections" text on my profile, and made connections with people everywhere I went. New jobs, conferences, after-work bars, tech meetups, old college friends - they all got a LinkedIn request, and many of them accepted. I don't think I was alone in my habits, and the early social web was a really fun time and place to feel connected to other people. However, my feelings about data privacy have shifted over the years, and I now see several issues with the idea that more connections is always better.
Everything I say here may also apply to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. depending on how you use those networks. On this blog I try to write to a professional audience and give advice related to careers, not personal lives - but these days it's all enmeshed on the web, so take from this whatever you find useful. If you're early in your career, recently changed careers, or just feel overwhelmed by the number of your online connections, perhaps some of these thoughts will be helpful to you. So, here are my three reasons for removing old LinkedIn connections:
1. Privacy hygiene
I believe that most of us should want to have a private-first presence on the web. Doxxing, SWATing, identity theft, bullying, and stalking are all real issues that show up in real people's lives without them asking for it. Do yourself a favor and limit the ways the world can find you. LinkedIn should work for you, not you for it - so protect yourself by restricting how many strangers can see your work and life updates.
2. Improving network relevance
Aim for quality over quantity. Having a smaller network of people whose interests are closer to yours can be much more valuable than a long list of people who are just acquaintances. If you're a content creator or thought leader in your industry, then sure, aim for a big audience - but that's what Twitter is for, or LinkedIn's creator mode. I'm talking about mutual connections here. Keep your circle small, and make every connection matter.
Networks are bi-directional, so in addition to improving the quality of your audience, you will also improve the signal/noise ratio of the posts that flow into your timeline. You'll be more able to focus on the content and connections that matter to you, and the opportunities that you'll stumble across will be so much more tailored to your actual career goals and personal interests.
3. Supporting a smaller, faster Internet
By trimming down our digital connections, we can contribute to a faster, more efficient internet. Computers are fast, so I don't just mean that we reduce the number of bits sent over the wire (although we should be somewhat concerned about that), I'm more speaking about the information density of the world we live in. It's clear that we are overloading our brains with noise, and the internet is becoming less useful and less pleasant as a result. The web is precious, let's keep it good.
When I talk about shrinking the web, I'm more talking about focusing and narrowing the amount of information we have to take in and process as humans on a daily basis. Who cares how much data the computers have to deal with... although, you know... data centers do use energy and until we are free from fossil fuels, that might be a thing to consider.
Let's reconnect with purpose
These are the reasons why I have intentionally reduced the number of connections I maintain on LinkedIn, and hopefully I've conveyed my general attitude toward how I see my social connections across the web. I encourage you to be intentional about reconnecting with old contacts, but feel no need to maintain connections that no longer serve a purpose.
A smaller network can lead to stronger, more supportive professional relationships, and by focusing on these these relationships we can all practice better privacy, data hygiene, and professional purpose.
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