I stopped posting on LinkedIn.
Why I Stopped Posting (Yes, I Know This Is a Post)
I stopped posting on LinkedIn. Yes, I know — saying that in a post is ironic. But it’s the kind of irony academia has trained me to endure. I stopped because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. Most of what I actually do isn’t very “postable”:
“Spent six months quietly fixing something someone else loudly broke and then helped them call it ‘transformational.’”
“Helped people step away from a toxic situation with their dignity intact and their blood pressure only marginally elevated.”
None of that goes well with a photo of me awkwardly holding a certificate in front of a sad retractable banner.
Let’s be honest — academic LinkedIn has evolved into its own genre: Part humblebrag, part journal article, part ‘delighted to announce,’ with just a hint of existential dread behind the eyes.
You know how this goes:
“Thrilled to be keynote speaker at the 17th International Symposium on Niche Acronyms, where I presented my latest piece: ‘A Grounded Theory of Theoretical Grounding: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses. (While Still Publishing in APA Format)’.”
Or…
“Honoured to have my 8,000th publication (this week) included in The Journal of Things Only Three People Will Ever Read, Probably By Accident.”
[Insert photo: person clutches certificate, dead behind the eyes, while a half-deflated pop-up banner lists their entire CV]
Meanwhile, the real stories — survival, sabotage, burnout, bullying, recovery, and rebuilding — never make it to the feed.
So here’s something different:
I’ve done good work.
I’ve made hard calls.
I’ve lost sleep over decisions that were out of my control .
I’ve watched toxic people rise (but also fall very hard on their faces).
I’ve watched brilliant people leave without a farewell post.
And through it all, I’ve tried (and occasionally failed) to stay decent.
That’s not always worth an announcement — but maybe it’s worth a post.
If you’ve ever looked at your career and thought, “None of this fits in a bullet point,” I see you.
We’re still here. Still doing the work.
No banner. No keynote. No LinkedIn-appropriate lighting.
I might start posting again.
I have some things to say.
Watch this space.
Academic Hub 