Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers explores the "cringe" culture of LinkedIn. This ESL class material uses a video to discuss professional networking, authenticity, and online personas, perfect for an advanced business English lesson. It helps students critically analyze the culture of LinkedIn through a warm-up matching social media platforms to their use, vocabulary exercises on terms like 'cringe' and 'thought leadership', a video comprehension task about LinkedIn's algorithm, a grammar focus on comparatives, and a final discussion about what is appropriate to share on a professional network. Students also learn useful phrases for connecting and commenting online, making this a practical business English lesson.
Activities
- Start with a matching activity where students connect popular social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to their primary functions, leading into a discussion about their own social media usage and professional networking habits.
- Watch a short video exploring why LinkedIn content can sometimes be seen as 'cringe'. Students answer true/false comprehension questions about the platform's algorithm, viral posts, and the concept of online authenticity in a professional setting.
- Engage in a final discussion about professional boundaries online. Students debate whether it's appropriate to share personal stories, achievements, or political opinions on a platform like LinkedIn, using phrases to express their opinions.
In some ways, the point of LinkedIn is obvious. It's not like Instagram where you're supposed to look cool.
It's not like Twitter where you're supposed to be funny and it's not like Facebook, where you're supposed to discover that Harry Styles is a government psyop to turn our kids gay.
LinkedIn, however, is where you go to network. It should be pretty straightforward.
So why the hell is it so weird?
I'm outside the New York offices of LinkedIn, the preeminent career platform where people go for job listings, resume building and toxic thought leadership.
How Microdosing helps me relate to the women in our office. What Andrew Tate can teach us about team building. At what age did your child start dropshipping? It's earlier than you think.
Let me explain. LinkedIn is far and away the most well-known site for hiring.
Meanwhile, as a social network gets most successful, users employ a very specific tone.
LinkedIn is mega-trend cringe. Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.
I feel like there's like two sides to LinkedIn. On one side, there is the like digital resumé. It's a place where you go to maybe find your next job.
And then there's the other side of it, which is more of a social network.
Rachel Carden is a social media consultant and author of the link in bio newsletter.
And she had a pretty simple explanation as to why every viral LinkedIn post sounds like Tony Robbins Notes app.
The LinkedIn algorithm is a lot to blame for that sort of personality. You know, celebrating the wins or highlighting a really engaging post that you did on social media and talking about it and bragging about it.
The algorithm likes that content, and so it feeds more of it.
Which is how you end up with posts like this CEO crying after laying people off, or this guy asking for a special place on the train for networking, or this guy talking about how he wants to work even after he's won the lottery, or this guy saying there's not a cost of living crisis but a not knowing how to make money crisis.
So why in the hell would anyone want to go viral in this sea of cringe?
You know, it's so important today for C-level executives to have a presence on LinkedIn, right? It's the world's biggest networking platform.
Julie Livingston is a public relations strategist, host of the PR Patter podcast and LinkedIn ghostwriter.
I think LinkedIn is very different than Facebook or Instagram or Twitter because somehow we take it more seriously.
And again, I think that's because it was initiated. It was started as a business networking platform.
Julia has built a career off of helping people grow their LinkedIn profiles, and she described to us the most effective way to communicate on the platform.
It sounds like the person is speaking to you. It sounds like their voice, like they're just having a conversation like you and I are having right now.
Sure. But some would disagree.
LinkedIn is where good content goes to die. It's the antisocial network where everybody has to be there. Nobody wants to be there and everybody has to post stuff that they don't really want to post there.
And then a few people post stuff that they know will get engagement there.
Jack Raines is a writer, business school student and author of numerous viral LinkedIn posts that parody its cringe voice.
I'm a curator of vibes. I live and die by my ability to post on the Internet. And yeah, so I guess I'm a professional non-influencer.
And what kind of quality content does a LinkedIn non-influencer put out?
It was like a personal finance hack on how to save money living in New York City. So I said that every day I go to a different hotel in Manhattan and I go eat their continental breakfast and then I sign off on some random room number.
I don't actually do this, but I wrote on LinkedIn like, I post it. Go to sleep. Wake up the next day. Over a million views. It went viral.
Jack's parody posts point out an underlying truth about LinkedIn thought leadership. Authenticity matters a lot less than being good at writing the specific type of posts that the algorithm is horny for.
I feel like it exists in such an odd place because of the very obvious acting that happens on there.
LinkedIn is a platform that's maybe even meant to be your most authentic self, and it feels like people are putting on a performance more than any other platform.
So if this is the state of LinkedIn now, where is it headed?
I mean, I think it's going to continue to grow in importance as we become a global economy, right? I mean, so I think it's going to continue to grow.
I don't think the algorithm will ever favor just like normal sort of storytelling. So I think we'll see more people emulate the Adam Grants of the world and talk like they're experts.
And that's usually how it all starts. It's like if you talk like you are a thought leader, then you are a thought leader.
I think LinkedIn has the like it has the best longevity out of all of them because it literally won't die.
Everybody on Instagram could eventually go to TikTok or to another like photo video sharing app. Twitter could die because there could be another better version of Twitter.
But with LinkedIn, because it's so entrenched with like the professional job network side of it, I do think that you're starting to see more and more people post regular content on LinkedIn.
So while LinkedIn is the worst social media site now, it has the most potential to be the biggest one for both the social platform and professional.
But it's not there yet. So get ready. Working world, much like genital warts and chlamydia, LinkedIn isn't going away any time soon.
And if the future of social media doesn't look like TikTok reels, tweets or YouTube shorts, at least it's something I'm familiar with. Cringe.
From this conversation, do you think I have what it takes to be a thought leader?
You know, Dan, I have to say, I've been so incredibly impressed by you and the way you address this whole topic. I think you do have what it takes.
Julie, thank you. Thank you for saying that. I'll pay you the $15 I promise you for saying that later.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on modern vocabulary related to social media and professional life. Key terms include "network," "cringe," "algorithm," "thought leadership," "parody," "go viral," and "authentic." Students practice using these words in matching and gap-fill exercises, preparing them to discuss online trends.
Grammar focus
The grammar section revisits comparatives and superlatives. Students practice forming and using these structures to compare different social media platforms and professional behaviors (e.g., 'LinkedIn is more formal than Instagram,' 'What is the most useful platform for job hunting?'). This reinforces essential grammar for making comparisons.
