Recently, I came across a post on Threads where someone wrote, “I think deleting my LinkedIn profile forever will improve my quality of life significantly.” I replied with a simple “disagree,” but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this comment deserved a longer response.
So here it is.
I understand the impulse. Social media can be exhausting. The endless scrolling. The performative self-promotion. The connection requests that feel more like cold calls. But LinkedIn is not just another social network—it’s the world’s most powerful professional platform. And for anyone who’s serious about their career, deleting it might feel like reclaiming your time, but in reality, it’s cutting yourself off from opportunities, credibility, and influence.
It’s Not Just a Résumé
LinkedIn plays multiple roles in my professional life. Yes, it serves as a digital résumé, but it’s also a place where I share content, publish ideas, and engage with colleagues, peers, and potential clients. In fact, of all my social platforms, LinkedIn consistently delivers the best engagement on professional content. It’s where my audience is, and where I can connect with them most effectively.
Today, a LinkedIn profile is as basic as having an email address or a business card. I recently managed a procurement process for a client, and part of the requirement was for proponents to include links to their team’s LinkedIn profiles. It’s part of how we assess credibility and qualifications now.
I use LinkedIn daily to check people out. If someone doesn’t have a profile, it raises questions. Are they out of touch? Hiding something? For me, it signals a lack of digital savvy—and that’s not a great look for anyone in business today.
LinkedIn has directly contributed to countless opportunities for me: consulting contracts, podcast interviews, speaking engagements, and job offers. Could these things have happened through other channels? Possibly. But LinkedIn makes it easy—it’s designed for professional discovery, and the intent behind interactions is much clearer than on platforms like X or Facebook.
Sure, you can maintain a strong network without LinkedIn. You can go to events, send emails, post on other platforms. But why make things harder than they need to be? LinkedIn is free (mostly), efficient, and effective. It’s a professional shortcut—one that lets you stay top-of-mind with your network and discover new opportunities without constant hustle.
The Fatigue is Real—But So is the Control
Yes, there are things about LinkedIn that drain me. The 24-year-olds declaring themselves “experts.” The awkward “happy birthday” notifications. The cold DMs from people trying to sell me podcast marketing services without even reading my profile.
But here’s the thing: you are in control of your own social media experience. Don’t like what someone is posting? Unfollow them. Tired of irrelevant connections? Mute them. Changed careers? Curate your feed. You can clean up your digital space without nuking your profile entirely.
That said, don’t be too quick to cut ties. Your network is a living, breathing record of your career journey. Even if someone isn’t relevant to your work right now, you never know when paths might cross again.
When I launched my 50 Women Over 50 podcast, I debated whether to share it on LinkedIn. It wasn’t directly tied to my consulting business, and I wondered if it might seem out of place. But it turned out to be one of the best platforms for promoting the show. The professional audience on LinkedIn was curious, supportive, and genuinely engaged. It reminded me that we don’t have to draw hard lines between the personal and professional—especially when the personal projects demonstrate leadership, initiative, and creativity.
Deleting your LinkedIn profile doesn’t just erase your visibility. It erases your impact. I know someone who shut down their profile after retiring. In doing so, they wiped out their career history—along with every recommendation they had written for colleagues over the years. It had a ripple effect. Those endorsements were gone, and the people they had supported lost a piece of their digital credibility too.
Yes, you can restore a profile within 14 days of deletion. But after that, it’s permanent. Most people know what they’re deleting. They just don’t understand the value of what they’re giving up—until it’s too late.
More Important Now Than Ever
With the decline of Twitter and its shift away from professional content, LinkedIn has become even more essential. Professionals are migrating there in droves. It’s the one place where thought leadership still thrives, where users are actively looking for insights, advice, and conversation about work, strategy, and industry change.
Personally, LinkedIn has helped me grow my audience, shape important conversations, and position myself as a trusted advisor in the communications and marketing world. Posts, articles, newsletters—these are all tools for influence. And they work. Why would I give that up?
Listen:
___
Want to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of digital marketing? Sign up for my newsletter to get insights like this straight to your inbox. Let’s navigate the evolving media landscape together and make smarter, more informed communication decisions for your brand.
Leave a Reply