When I decided to deactivate my LinkedIn account some time ago I first went through the privacy settings. There are so many grounds on which you can be tracked. So it made me wonder: am I getting enough in return from letting LinkedIn use all my private data? Because let’s face it, we are putting our entire business careers on display. So how much are we as users benefiting?
This was my finding after a one-month break:
✅ On the Plus Side:
- No more pop-up Messages (from the App or as an E-Mail)
- No more connecting requests from people who just add you without any note about why they want to connect
- No more requests to set up a call without giving any reason why
- No more unwanted advertisement
- More time to do stuff that matters: have direct connections, create new ideas, separate important from non-important information, reflect more…
⛔ On the Minus Side:
- Missing out on interesting events or information that I could learn about through other people’s posts
- Not being able to share news and make my work more visible
While disconnecting gave me peace of mind for some time, I wasn’t ready to completely give up social media. That’s not what this blog is about. We ought to be able to navigate the digital world and determine the level of privacy that suits us best. One example is by adjusting the settings of the platform.
Here are some tips on how to do that without deactivating your account:
- Go through all the Settings (not just Data Privacy). Privacy-related issues can be found in the other sections as well. This will take some time, but it is worth it if you wish to control who has access to your data, how it’s being used, who and how can reach out to you, etc.;
- Manage who can find you on LinkedIn and who can contact you. This refers for instance to making your membership to the platform public or keeping it private. You can find this under Visibility;
- Manage how you receive notifications. Under Communications you can for instance regulate if every message you receive should also be sent to your E-Mail or if you just want to leave the information on the platform to check when it’s convenient for you;
- Make the Follow option your primary connecting possibility: go to Visibility ➡Followers➡Make Follow Primary (activate YES). This should send the signal that that is your preferred way of connecting. There will be people who will send you requests to connect, they will (hopefully) this way be encouraged to send an accompanying note as to why they wish to connect (especially if you haven’t met before);
- Under Advertising Data you can deny LinkedIn the possibility to collect your data or to use it for profiling and personalized ads.
Important: Check the Settings on a regular basis to see if they match your current situation. Just as I am writing this I discover some settings that I want to be changed.
Finally, my own way of dealing with the information flood may turn into having digital detox from time to time in order to charge batteries. The summer period can be a good start for that. 🌞⛱🌊
Photos: Screenshots MS (2. poll I conducted)
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