Political desert. Why there are no politicians on LinkedIn?

Polish politicians on LinkedIn

We will meet parliament members and professional politicians almost everywhere on social media: from Facebook, to Twitter, TikTok, or podcast platforms. The situation is different with Linkedin. In the case of Poles, there is almost a desert here. I took the time to count a selection of recognizable people, and the ranking does not exceed 50 accounts. Of course, this is a subjective list. I took into account activity on the site – publishing, replies, participation in discussions.

I’m writing the article in October 2022, maybe still too soon before the elections?

Presence of politicians on Linkedin – possible worries?

Here are some working theses with possible concerns about presence on this platform.

Linkedin was intended as a place to talk about work and development. Worldview topics take a back seat here, or are they not welcome? This is not explicitly stated in the terms and conditions. However, as of 2021, Linkedin says it is collecting reports from members of the site and taking steps to limit political content. That is, what kind of content?

„Currently, political content includes content about political parties and candidates, election results and ballot initiatives. We continue to test and gather member feedback on the types of political content they would prefer to see less of on LinkedIn.”

One of my speakers says that politicians are not welcome here because they polarize the public. In my opinion, Linkedin tries to be deprived of politics, but it is a platform where worldview issues – such as values – including equality, diversity (including LGBT), inclusion, inclusivity, green policies and ESG are heavily promoted.
Politicians rarely look for jobs on the open labor market. They usually use the hidden job market, where vacancies and information are visible only in the political circle.
Civil servants working in the so-called „civil service corps” are required not to manifest political views (Article 78, Civil Service Law) and detailed guidelines for civil servants’ online activities (2021).
They think there is too little traffic (of people registered and active on Linkedin).
Are they afraid of substantial discussions with participants of the service?
Are they not familiar with the service?

Interestingly, public institutions are doing better. Ministries, offices, government agencies and local governments are visible here. They announce their programs, recruit people and keep people informed.

Before you see politicians on Linkedin, let me give you some facts about this platform.

What is Linkedin today?

Linkedin was launched in 2003. In December 2016, it was bought by Microsoft.
Linkedin’s mission: „LinkedIn’s mission is to enable professionals around the world to connect with each other for greater efficiency and success.” Initially, Linkedin provided an opportunity to publish a virtual resume, but years later it is an extensive social network for professionals. It is about development, job search and education.
„LinkedIn brings together the largest number of professionals from around the world in one place. This is where you will find top-level decision makers, managers and opinion leaders. The service is available in 200 countries around the world.” (According to: Effective Selling on Linkedin, Marcin Jezierski 2021).
LinkedIn has about 840 million users worldwide (July 22).
In Poland, it has more than 5 million real users (5.4 million/August 22); by comparison, Wikipedia has 10.4 million real users (RU) and Facebook has 15.8 million.
Poles spend about 13 minutes on the site on average. At least 40% of users access the platform daily.
Globally, more than 30 million companies have their business profiles (LinkedIn Page) on LinkedIn.
The umber of registered users by country, e.g. USA (190 million), Brazil (56 million), France (25 million), Italy (17 million). In Europe, there are more than 170 million registered users.