LinkedIn is not matrimonial site: LinkedIn should be used for Professional Connections, not for romantic advances!
Highlights:
- LinkedIn Should Only be used for Professional Connections
- Sending Rishtas is not cool at all
How women have been harassed after sending a professional connection?
LinkedIn is not matrimonial Site : Two days ago, I opened LinkedIn and noticed a message from a gentleman I had connected with 2 months ago. “You have pretty eyes. Do you mind if I ask, “Are you married?” But why does one have to ask about my marital status on LinkedIn? Why do people treat LinkedIn as a dating site? A lot of men think it is fine to send romantic proposals on LinkedIn but my dear friend it is offensive.
We create LinkedIn Profiles for networking, connection to people from the same profession and of course for work opportunities. In that case, someone sending you Rishta isn’t really cool. Well, LinkedIn’s community guidelines strictly prohibit “romantic advances”. However, the CEO of LinkedIn Jeff Weiner in an interview revealed, “The company has removed 52,617 instances of harassment and adult content in the year 2019.” As the internet has become a mainstream dating world, especially during the Pandemic, people are used to finding love online and somehow they have started treating LinkedIn as a dating app.
LinkedIn is an online platform which is primarily used for professional networking and career development. Unlike other social media platforms, where people might be looking for romantic advances, LinkedIn is a space for exploring career opportunities. Ideally, professional opportunities should remain the prime motive for connection and responding to people on LinkedIn.
A -28 year- old IT Professional revealed that she was asked for her number several times by a man even after she said no. From a male’s point of view, women’s responses to such messages can be an overreaction but they don’t understand that receiving such messages on a professional platform is a form of harassment. I don’t respond to half of the messages even if that means putting myself at a disadvantage professionally.
Another woman revealed how a man blocked her on LinkedIn after she turned down his proposal and told him to stick to professional ethics. She further added, when a woman refuses the romantic advances offered by the man she is labelled as tough. For god sake understand there is something called consent and LinkedIn clearly is not the platform.
According to a report, many women have reported and blocked such users. Notably, LinkedIn is now aware of such incidents and it has laid down in its policy that ‘Do not engage in Unwanted Advances. The clause reads, “Do not engage in unwanted advances. We don’t allow unwanted expressions of attraction, desire and requests for a romantic relationship, marriage proposals, sexual advances or lewd remarks. Do not use LinkedIn to pursue romantic relationships.”
Well, despite the clause, it is hard to control such cases and we need to blame the mindset. Men actually do not know how to approach a woman professionally. One of the main reasons could be the absence of women in professional circles or the patriarchal mindset which refuses to see the professional capabilities of a woman first and focuses on sexualizing them.
So what should one do?
Asking for a number or sending compliments could seem minor but should one wait for something bigger to happen? It is important to report such cases. Connect with people and if they ask for personal details – right away convey that you only want to connect professionally. If there is continuous harassment, publicly name and report. If more people report, then perhaps the algorithm can do a better job in identifying the predator.
