A while back I left social media. I am glad that I did.

However I am not here to convince you to do the same. I had some fairly idiosyncratic reasons for leaving that don’t necessarily apply to other people.

And to be clear, I left my personal social media. I still have a Facebook account for work and in recent months have been using LinkedIn a lot more.

I am one of those lucky people whose work represents a foundational piece of their sense of self. I say lucky, because I’ve worked jobs before where I was mostly just there to deliver something for someone else in exchange for money. I wasn’t connected to the content of my work. It meant I performed below my capacity and I felt deeply disconnected.

Since coming to Flinders and focusing my efforts on studying wellbeing and productivity and communicating that to the wider Flinders community via this blog and presentations to students, I have rediscovered a sense of passion and purpose. I consider that very lucky.

That is why LinkedIn is my preferred social media channel.

LinkedIn is a social network based around work and employment.

You set up a profile (basically a publicly visible resume/CV), connect to others (individuals or organisations) with similar interests, expertise and work situations and then share achievements and reflections. You may even find your future job on there.

Like any other social media channel there is a news feed, but instead of holiday snaps or pictures of people’s ugly kids, the stuff people are posting is about the work they are doing. I find this a much more motivational space to sit in.

If you are wondering whether LinkedIn might be a relevant social media channel for you, check out this extensive ‘how-to’ article by the College Info Geek crew. .

If you already have a LinkedIn profile, consider giving it a bit of tender loving care (TLC) and maybe consider posting occasionally on there what you are learning in your degree. If you build up this social media channel, future employers have a place to go to see your achievements and get a sense of who you are, what interests you, what activities you are involved with and what you are thinking and learning. Think of it as an investment in your future self.

Since making LinkedIn my primary social media channel, I have made a number of connections that led to really interesting conversations like this one and I met (over the phone) the CEO of Cannpal and we discussed human wellbeing. I get connection requests from all around the world and you never know which of those contacts might yield a powerful opportunity in the future.