linkedin – Dreamyoga

I have lived to a large extent in a vacuum of social interaction for a number of years. It was perhaps foretold by my like of “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams”. As a teenager I really enjoyed the programme and the lifestyle idea, living in an isolated cabin in nature. My extroverted parents kept bloody talking whilst I was watching the programmes and often commented about isolation leading inevitably to cabin fever. Although adjunct to society we do not really participate and cannot be said to be socially integrated. We are immersed in nature at the very edge of a village.

Because I have arthritis sooner or later, I will be unable to manage our 2 acres. So, I joined LinkedIn with a view to seeing if I could get some science editing work to help pay for assistance in the garden. That has not proved possible / easy. As a result of this LinkedIn exposure, I delved into the venture capital start-up world to which I once pertained a quarter century ago. It was interesting for me to track down people I did my first degree with and to see what they are / have been up to. When taking the integral over my life I have perhaps been among the least financially successful of all my peers. We live below minimum wage. This is not a usual outcome for a high technology start-up co-founder and an ex-academic from a world top ten university.

What I see is that the tendency to hype and spin has not gone. It has gotten worse. Many of my invitations to join my network have been ignored. People whose lives I helped change can’t be arsed with me anymore, my leper’s bell can be heard across continents, it seems. Some of these people are very “successful” now. I know that I have helped many people over the years. It seems they have forgotten or are embarrassed by me now. I am not resentful I have perhaps always given more that I have taken. It was never done transactionally.

By following the likes of people I knew, I have had exposure to a Jewish / Israeli perspective on some things. I found this interesting and had been unaware of some of the depth of feeling.

Obviously, LinkedIn has a sales / public relations purpose. It is not for deep spiritual insight. It could be said to be for people “on the make”.

Has anyone every studied if LinkedIn is worth the money time and effort? Or is LinkedIn yet another part of our modern FOMO addiction?

Twitter has some gems but it also has a lot of shite. There is darkness, hate and some light. I am amazed at how very polarised the world is now. I was trying to sum it up.

People it seems can be gullible, adamant and evangelical.

They may actually believe some of the stuff they soap box about. Conspiracy theories can be way out there. Deep thought and balance seems missing. OK not everyone likes Twitter/X or whatever. Not every “omniscient” being needs to spout off about their agenda. But it is a sample of our world today. I sense that the younger people are underrepresented. It does not fill me with optimism about where humanity is heading.

In a strange way I find both of these medias “intrusive” the world “out there” is somehow leaking in to they world here. The more I see they less I sense a belonging to that world. I don’t fit in, perhaps I never have.

My working hypothesis is that there is not really much more for me to do “out there”. I am done, used up. I have had a dream recently suggesting that this self-image may be wrong and that my opinion of self needs a polish, a glow up. But true paths can and may be filled with emptiness as opposed to societal detritus.

It seems likely that in the upcoming weeks I will pull the plug on LinkedIn and now that my research on Twitter is nearly over, I will stop using that too.

I have one observation Twitter live feed is way better before the USA gets out of bed. Reiteration differs from fact. Boring.

I recently began a foray into using LinkedIn with a view to getting some scientific English editing work. The “try for free” premium services made it difficult to cancel without paying after the first month. This is a part of a “stealth” subscription model which is internet wide. I personally don’t like it. By mistake I paid one month. It is a bit sneaky. Alongside WordPress is forever suggesting purchase of add-ons and upgrades. It is a sign of the times and being an old fart I am not happy with it. This hard-sell is ubiquitous. My pet hate is airlines who offer a low price ticket only to charge you for luggage and seat reservation meaning the headline ticket price is a smokescreen. I can remember on BOAC getting food served in economy on a china plate and having my unaccompanied minors flight miles log signed by the captain using a fountain pen. I had 150,000 airmiles by the time I was 13!

The good old days are no longer here.

Seems everyone one is ultra cautious about who they are seen to associate with in public on the internet on things like LinkedIn. A fair percentage of my invitations to join my network have been turned down. My leper’s bell can clearly be heard in some quarters. People whose career was aided and even jump started by their interactions with me do not want to network with me now I am no longer any use to them. I don’t add kudos. It makes you wonder how real the interactions were in the first place all those years ago. They don’t want to associate with me, not even with a bargepole.

I have learned a few things one of which is the strength of feeling in the Israeli community concerning the rise of antisemitism. I guessed the concern was there but to see it first hand is interesting and educational.

I have also learned that you can get various forms of personal services from coaching, through security experts, dream trainers, shamanic soul recovery right the way through to cartomancy and exorcism. I had thought LinkedIn was just for conservative business. My assumptions were wrong.

A lot of people are pushing services. Logic says that the quality must be variable, many perhaps are over hyped.

Some of my posts on quantum computing etc. get several hundred reads. I have toyed with idea of launching “Man in His Shed PLC” or “Homme dans son grenier SARL”.

I get more reads on LinkedIn than on any of the other blogs I have written.

At the moment it looks like my time on LinkedIn is limited and I am getting the urge to pull the account and vanish in a puff of smoke. I joined it with a burner email address so that I had an exit if needed.

It looks as though the science editing thing is a no-go perhaps due to AI and Skynet…

I need a plan b, it seems…

hmnn