LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 660 million users worldwide. On LinkedIn, users can connect with other professionals, follow companies, join groups, and apply for jobs. One of the core features of LinkedIn is the ability to “like” and react to other users’ posts and content. Liking someone’s content is a way to show appreciation and agreement. However, sometimes users may want to unlike or delete a like they previously made. In this article, we’ll explore whether it’s possible to delete a like on LinkedIn and the reasons why someone may want to do so.
Why Would You Want to Delete a Like?
Here are some common reasons why a LinkedIn user may want to delete a like they previously made:
Accidental Like
It’s easy to accidentally like someone’s post or content while scrolling and tapping on LinkedIn’s mobile app. Undoing an accidental like keeps your profile interactions genuine.
Change of Opinion
Over time, your opinions and views may change. Deleting a previous like on outdated or objectionable content keeps your profile current.
Cleaning Up Your Profile
Some users like to periodically prune old likes and comments to declutter their profile and keep only their most recent, relevant interactions.
Post is Edited or Deleted
If the original post you liked is edited or deleted by the author, you may wish to remove your like from the outdated content.
Professional Disagreement
Liking a post could be misconstrued as endorsing the views of the author. Deleting likes avoids professional misunderstandings.
Privacy Concerns
Some users prefer to be selective about liking content for privacy reasons and maintain control over their digital footprint.
Is it Possible to Delete Likes on LinkedIn?
Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not have a built-in feature that allows users to unlike or delete previous likes. Once you like a post, comment, or other content on LinkedIn, there is no official way to remove your like.
However, there are a few unofficial workarounds and techniques that some users have reported to delete LinkedIn likes:
LinkedIn Help Desk
You can contact LinkedIn’s customer support desk and request they delete a particular like from your profile. While they may accommodate such requests on a case-by-case basis, this is not an instant solution and relies on LinkedIn’s willingness to manually remove likes.
Browser Extensions
Some Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, like Social Book Post Manager for LinkedIn, claim to have a “Unlike” feature to remove likes. However, experiences vary and browser extensions tend to have mixed reliability.
Mobile App Automation
Apps like IFTTT have subscriptions that let you automate certain actions on mobile devices. Some users have reported creating an automated recipe to unlike posts on LinkedIn’s mobile app.
Posting as Company Page
Likes made when posting as your company page instead of personal profile do allow removing likes. However, this only works for company page content.
Web Scraping
For advanced users, it may be possible to use web scraping and automation techniques to systematically query LinkedIn’s API and delete likes. However, this would violate LinkedIn’s terms of service.
Why Doesn’t LinkedIn Allow Unliking Content?
LinkedIn likely deliberately prohibits users from deleting likes for the following reasons:
Reflect Genuine Interactions
Likes show real engagement on the platform. Removing likes could manipulate perceptions and enable dishonest representations.
Data Collection
The data on likes, comments, and shares helps LinkedIn understand their users’ interests and patterns. Allowing deletions would undermine this data collection.
Maintain Post Performance
LinkedIn measures content performance based on engagement metrics like likes. Letting users delete likes would enable content creators to misrepresent their posts’ popularity.
Promote Thoughtful Interactions
Forcing likes to be permanent encourages users to think carefully before liking, rather than impulsively reacting to content.
Reduce Support Tickets
Preventing unlike functionality cuts down on frivolous customer support requests to delete insignificant likes.
Mimic Other Platforms
Facebook and Instagram also do not allow deleting likes, so LinkedIn is following standard social media precedent.
Pros of Not Allowing Unlike
Here are some of the pros to LinkedIn prohibiting users from removing likes:
Authentic Engagement
Likes accurately represent genuine interactions that happened organically on the platform.
Fair Performance Metrics
Content creators are evaluated fairly based on total likes. Selectively deleting likes would distort this.
Reduced Support Tickets
Forbidding delete requests cuts down on petty support tickets, letting LinkedIn focus on more serious issues.
Discourage Impulsive Liking
Permanent likes encourage more thoughtful interactions instead of impulsive clicks users later regret.
Aligns with Other Platforms
Maintaining the status quo matches user expectations shaped by likes on Facebook and Instagram.
Cons of Not Allowing Unlike
However, there are also some downsides to prohibiting users from removing likes:
Inability to Fix Mistakes
Humans make mistakes, and there’s no way to undo accidental or reflex likes intended for a different post.
Stifles Privacy Control
Users lose granular control over their digital footprint when unable to prune old likes visible to connections.
Hurts Personal Branding
Outdated likes remaining on a profile may contradict someone’s current views, values, and personal brand.
Reduced User Agency
The inability to delete likes makes users feel powerless and like they lack control over their presence on the platform.
Encourages Shadow Banning
Some users resort to blocking content creators to hide unwanted likes, reducing overall engagement.
Best Practices
Since deleting likes is not possible on LinkedIn, here are some best practices:
Be Selective When Liking
Only like content that you are comfortable endorsing permanently to avoid regrets.
Check Settings Frequently
Adjust your profile visibility and other settings to manage how broadly your likes are shared.
Be Proactive About Privacy
Regularly review your profile and past interactions through the lens of your target audience.
Provide Feedback to LinkedIn
Constructively explain use cases for removing likes in LinkedIn user surveys to encourage the feature.
Like Less Impulsively on Mobile
Tap carefully when scrolling on LinkedIn’s mobile app to avoid accidental likes.
Examples of Trying to Delete LinkedIn Likes
Here are some hypothetical examples of attempts to delete LinkedIn likes:
Company Social Media Manager
Olivia manages social media for Acme Co. She likes a post from a brand partner, then Acme Co. ends the partnership. Olivia tries contacting LinkedIn to remove the like, but they cannot delete likes. She blocks the ex-partner’s company page to hide the unwanted like.
Career Pivot
After 10 years as an insurance salesman, Ryan is changing careers to become a high school math teacher. He tries pruning old likes for insurance companies and actuaries to align with his new career. But LinkedIn does not allow Ryan to remove these outdated likes.
Inadvertent Double Tap
Scrolling on his phone, Juan accidentally double taps a provocative political post and likes it. He immediately tries to undo the mistaken like but cannot delete or unlike it either on mobile or desktop.
Privacy Concerns
Amy likes her coworker Alicia’s promotion announcement then later decides it reveals too much about her employer and team. She emails LinkedIn Support requesting they delete the like to protect her privacy, but they say it is permanently part of her profile interactions.
Spouse’s Request
Brett likes a post from an influencer with relationship advice contrary to his marital values. His wife Marie asks him to remove the like. Brett tries everything to delete it but cannot without LinkedIn’s unavailable cooperation.
The Future of LinkedIn Likes
It is unlikely that LinkedIn will change their stance and introduce dislike or unlike functionality anytime soon. However, here are some potential changes around likes that could happen:
New Interactions Added
LinkedIn may allow removing other profile interactions beyond likes, such as unfollowing a company or undoing connection requests.
Algorithm Changes
The feed algorithm that determines visible likes may be modified to give users some control over hiding old likes.
Time Limit on Visibility
Likes more than a certain age, such as 2 years old, could automatically stop appearing on a user’s profile.
User Archives
Downloads of profile data may include a private archive of likes users can prune before sharing publicly.
Premium Account Perk
Paid Premium accounts could allow removing some likes as a member benefit.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn currently does not allow users to delete or unlike previous likes on their profile. The permanence of likes maintains authentic engagement and performance metrics. However, the inability to remove likes also creates issues around privacy, branding, and fixing mistakes. Until LinkedIn introduces official unlike capabilities, users should like thoughtfully, adjust settings cautiously, and give constructive feedback. With some foresight and prudent platform use, LinkedIn members can showcase their professional connections without like regrets.