This one starts with me sharing the changes I've made to reduce the impact of enshittification on my online usage, has a bit of a poke at the rose tinted world of linkedin and then gets serious about mediocrity and how we can combat it.
I have to confess that I'm still struggling with how I can promote Out Beyond Ideas through social media without becoming part of the problem. I knew things were bad when I started the site and after reading Cory Doctorow's book, Enshittfication (link at the end of the post and available in all good bookstores), I realised I had no clue how bad it really was.
And it's getting worse. The 2026 World Happiness Report (link below) has just been released and for the first time is citing social media as a major cause of declining wellbeing amongst young people in western countries. In the same week there was a report from the BBC about social media algorithms driving borderline content into people's feeds because it drove higher levels of engagement (link below).
You could blame the creators who make the content, social media companies who push it and the advertisers that sell their products over it, but ultimately they seem to be satisfying a need we have for it. We seem to be desperate for drama, gossip and conflict and the more we get, the more we want. As long as the creators and platforms can make money from it, it's just going to keep on coming. Legislation may slow it, but the internet will find a way to give people what they want if money can be made from it. God bless capitalism 🤦.
This year I've changed a few things in an effort to change my relationship with the internet. Unfortunately some of them cost money:
This year I'm going to compare Kagi results to standard Google and see what the differences are. You see it's not just about the sponsored content at the top of your results, google have a profile on you and will, for a fee, add words to your search terms to further prioritise the non-sponsored content. Searching for trainers ? They might add a brand name to your search if the brand have paid for it. Yep, really sneaky stuff and it's not just google doing it.
Currently I'm still using standard google as well because Kagi isn't great when you want to do price comparisons, but I really like it. The company seem more ethical than most platforms, which is a rare treat in the platform world. But, however much I liked them, I found something this week that made them rocket in my opinion 🚀
One of the big issues with social media is that we somehow convince ourselves that the lives we see portrayed on it are real. We see these influencers with these apparently perfect lives that we aspire to and the more of it we consume the more our wellbeing drops. But reality is a lot different. At best we are seeing their highlights reel and comparing it to our warts and all real life. At worst some of it is fake and manufactured. But this blog is about being kind so the kindest thing I can say is that most of it is 'rose tinted'.
Over the past few months on Linkedin, I've been seeing some really well crafted memes, usually using a cute animal, where they have a short statement of what the animal has done and then the linkedin version of it. For example:
Cute picture of a dog
Reality: I barked at the neighbour's dog.
Linkedin: Excited to share that I successfully led a proactive perimiter security and real-time threat detection initiative. Humbled and grateful for the unwavering support of my family and local stakeholders. This experience reinforced the importance of vigilance, ownership and continuous improvement. Looking forward to scaling this impact in future engagements. #Grateful #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Security
I've been loving them, but I found something this week that I love even more. The Kagi version of google translate - Kagi Translate - has put linkedin speak as a language, so now you can create your own reality vs linkedin meme whenever you fancy. (There may be other services that provide this but I haven't had a look around yet).
So I had a go:
Reality: I had a really satisfying poo
Linkedin Speak: I’m thrilled to share a major personal milestone today. 🚀 Sometimes in life, we need to focus on the process of letting go to make room for new growth. Today, I successfully executed a high-impact release that left me feeling incredibly refreshed and optimized for the challenges ahead. It’s a powerful reminder that consistency, internal balance, and a solid output strategy are the keys to peak performance. 💩✨ #PersonalGrowth #Optimization #WellnessJourney #Efficiency #SuccessMindset
and another:
Reality: I missed a really important deadline
Linkedin Speak: I’ve recently had a powerful opportunity to reflect on the importance of time management and prioritization. While I didn't hit a specific milestone on the original timeline, this experience has been an incredible learning journey that has sharpened my resilience and taught me how to better navigate complex workflows. Grateful for the growth mindset! #GrowthMindset #LearningOpportunity #ProfessionalDevelopment #Resilience
and another:
Reality: I sat at home in my pyjamas, binge watching netflix whilst pretending to do a full days work. Result !
Linkedin Speak: Grateful for the flexibility of a remote-first environment! 🏠✨ Today was all about deep-diving into market trends (Netflix style 🍿) while optimizing my workflow from the comfort of my home office. 💻 It’s amazing how prioritizing self-care and a comfortable workspace can lead to such a productive "deep work" session. 🚀
Success isn't just about the hours you put in, but the value you create while staying true to your authentic self. #RemoteWork #WorkLifeBalance #AgileMindset #Efficiency #WFH
I've put a link to Kagi Translate below. You may have to sign up but I think there is a free trail so you can have a go without it costing you anything. I've posted the translations as they came out so there are some american spellings in them. Also I'm not promoting Netflix and other streaming services are available.
For me the Linkedin Speak option is just a bit of fun. But it's making fun of something that is deadly serious. When does a positive spin become stretching the truth ? When does over-exaggeration, become misleading someone ? When does a factual CV become a well crafted set of lies ? We seem to be in a period of evolution where a realistically optimistic portrayal of the facts won't get a look in because we are more likely to be sucked in by slick linkedin speak. Sadly, I suspect that people will use the linkedin speak translator to write their posts and CV entries. They may even start believing their own hype after a while !
In my civil service career I interviewed hundreds of people and probably read thousands of CVs. Most interview panels I participated in interviewed a mix of internal and external candidates and if you'd worked with the internal candidates you'd have sometimes had first hand experience of what they'd delivered, so knew whether their CV represented that.
When I was interviewing at the turn of the century (it sounds so long ago....) there were some repeating patterns:
But things changed over time. I've read applications from internal colleagues where they have taken credit for work that others delivered and they were on the periphery. Once or twice they have taken credit for something that someone on the interview panel had delivered !
On the positive it was great that people were portraying themselves in a more positive light, but some didn't seem to be able to stop at rose tinted fact and drifted into fantasy. As a result it got harder and harder to employ great people. You ended up employing people that were great at CV and application writing and interviewing. The sad thing about a lot of them was that was all they were good at.
When I started my career in IT (in 1988), life was a bit simpler. I'd chosen to have a career in the civil service, so my focus was on getting good training and doing a great job. Certification didn't mean much to me because I knew when I was doing a good job and didn't need a certificate to prove it.
Now the certification seems to almost come first. I've seen people get certification in a technology because they passed the certification exam. There was no way they had the experience to be good at what they were doing. But it didn't seem to matter, because the certifications was on the CV ✅.
So we seem to have come to a point where it's more important to be certified than be good at something. It's better to build skills in CV and application writing and interviewing than it is to build your capability in your field. It's better to learn the skills needed to successfully move up in the world than it is to build the skills needed to be great at what you do. It's better to generate rubbish content that has high levels of engagement than decent stuff that doesn't. And AI offers you tools so that you don't have to even be great at that as it will help you....
So, as the internet slowly fills up with regurgitated AI slop, I get the horrible feeling that senior management posts across the globe are getting filled with people slop. Characters who self promote really well and then move on quickly before they get found to be barely capable in the roles they are in. We've optimised the workplace for a do the bare minimum mindset and have designed AI tools that will help that mindset flourish 🤦
Time for honesty again. When I started this article, I didn't know how to end it, but I trusted myself to find something. Luckily, I needed a wee, which distracted me so my unconscious could get a word in. So yes, I think there is something we can do and encourage our kids to do to fight this do the bare minimum mindset which is contributing to the mediocritisation of humanity:
DO IT BETTER THAN YOU HAVE TO !
I think it's that simple. If you want to get the jobs, you're going to have to be great at applications and interviews, but don't stop there. Put in the work and be great at the job as well. By all means move from organisation to organisation in your career, but stay long enough in each job to do something of significance that transforms your capabilities. When faced with the option to do something tactical that ticks a box or something strategic that changes lives, have the guts to go strategic.
Do it better than you have to - because that's what will change your world and the world for the better.
Do it better than you have to - to set an inspiring example for your children.
Do it better than you have to - so that you can end each day knowing that you did a good job.
Do it better than you have to - so that you never find yourself in that dark horrible place where you are afraid to go to work because you are so out of your depth.
Do it better than you have to - so that, if sh1t happens and everything starts falling apart, you know you did everything you could to make things work.
Do it better than you have to - so that when it's time for you to leave this bonkers world we live in, you can leave knowing you lived life better than you had to and set a fabulous example for the people you love the most.
In a world where the new normal is to do the least you can to get the most you can, make the choice to stand out from the crowd.
DO IT BETTER THAN YOU HAVE TO !
I'll post my findings about Kagi vs Google later in the year and if I come up with more ways of combatting mediocritisation, I will share them on here. Check out the links below if you have a moment and Whatsapp me with any cool Linkedin Speak examples you find. #DIBTYHT
Mike xx
PS. Just dug a bit deeper and Kagi Translate has a whole section called fun languages. Current options are: Corporate Jargon, Dothraki, Elvish, Emoji Speak, Gen Z, High Valerian, Klingon, Linkedin Speak, Middle English, Na'vi, Pirate Speak and Reddit Speak.
PPS. Tried Gen Z and it makes Klingon look easy to understand......
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