Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most popular social media platforms today, each with hundreds of millions of users worldwide. But they serve different purposes – Facebook focuses on connecting friends and family and sharing life updates, while LinkedIn is oriented towards professional networking and career development.
So which platform is “better”? The answer depends on your specific needs and goals in using social media. This comprehensive comparison of Facebook vs LinkedIn looks at key factors like features, user base, privacy, ads and business use to help you decide which option is preferable for you.
Key Differences
Here is a quick overview of how Facebook and LinkedIn compare:
Factor | ||
---|---|---|
Purpose | Connect with friends & family, share personal updates | Professional networking, career development |
User base | 2.9 billion monthly active users | 722 million registered members |
Features | Status updates, photos/videos, Messenger, Groups, Events, Gaming | Profile, Feed, Network, Jobs, LinkedIn Learning |
Privacy | More open sharing model | Stricter privacy controls |
Ads | Yes – highly targeted | Yes – limited targeting |
Business use | Pages, Ad Campaigns, Metrics | Company Pages, Ad Campaigns, Recruiting |
As this table illustrates, while there is some overlap, Facebook and LinkedIn generally serve distinct purposes and offer different features tailored to those goals.
User Base
One major difference between Facebook and LinkedIn is the size and composition of their user bases.
With close to **3 billion monthly active users** worldwide, Facebook has by far the larger userbase. LinkedIn, by comparison, has around **722 million members**, mainly composed of professionals and career oriented individuals.
Facebook’s expansive user base encompasses people across ages, demographics, geographies and socioeconomic segments. This breadth allows for connecting with friends, family and communities on a more personal level.
LinkedIn’s users, while fewer in number, are primarily focused on career networking and development. Roughly 55% of LinkedIn members are outside the U.S., representing over 200 countries and territories worldwide. The platform’s most engaged user segments include students transitioning to career, job seekers, middle-aged professionals and executives.
So while Facebook casts a wider net, LinkedIn attracts a more business-minded audience. The type of connections and conversations happening on each platform mirror these user base differences.
Features and User Experience
When it comes to features and user experience, Facebook and LinkedIn also showcase key variations:
– **Status Updates** – Share text, photo, video and life updates to your network.
– **News Feed** – Scrollable feed shows updates from connections, Groups, Pages and advertisers.
– **Photos/Videos** – Upload and share photos and videos, and view content shared by others.
– **Messenger** – Have text, audio and video chats with connections on Facebook Messenger.
– **Groups** – Join Groups centered on various interests, hobbies, affiliations and topics.
– **Events** – Learn about, host and share events with the Facebook Events feature.
– **Gaming** – Play casual games and share your activity and high scores.
– **Watch** – Watch popular videos, original shows and livestreams of events.
– **Profile** – Create a professional profile highlighting your education, skills, experience and accomplishments.
– **Feed** – Scrollable feed shows updates from your network, Groups, Companies and advertisers.
– **Network** – Connect with colleagues, classmates, business contacts and professionals in your industry.
– **Jobs** – Search for and apply to jobs, get alerts for new opportunities and research companies.
– **LinkedIn Learning** – Access over 16,000+ expert-led courses covering business, creative and technology topics.
– **Skills** – Showcase key skills on your profile and take skill assessments to back up your expertise.
– **Content Creation** – Publish long-form posts, articles and videos to establish thought leadership.
As is apparent, Facebook emphasizes community engagement features, while LinkedIn concentrates more exclusively on career-advancing tools. This aligns with the differing intentions people bring when accessing each platform.
Privacy and Security
Privacy settings and data practices also differ quite a bit between Facebook and LinkedIn:
**Facebook**
– More open model – default is to share information widely with your networks and communities.
– Granular privacy controls allow limiting access to posts, but defaults are public-facing.
– Facial recognition used to suggest tags, which some may see as an invasion of privacy.
– Data handling practices and targeting of ads have raised many user concerns over the years.
**LinkedIn**
– Stricter default privacy settings – content shared only with 1st degree connections by default.
– Profile and activity information is made private and not accessible to general public.
– No facial recognition used. All identity claims must be confirmed.
– Generally seen as more stringent in protection of user data and privacy.
– Limit ad targeting compared to Facebook – less potential for sensitive inference.
LinkedIn’s business model depends more on trust, professional brand and being the go-to career network. This leads them to be extra careful when it comes to privacy and transparency.
Facebook has received much more scrutiny over its data practices and spreading of misinformation. However, the platform has recently updated many of its privacy settings to give users more control.
Advertising and Monetization
Facebook and LinkedIn both leverage advertising as a key means of generating revenue. However, their approaches differ:
**Facebook Ads**
– Offer highly targeted, interest-based ad options based on extensive data collection.
– Advanced targeting by demographics, behaviors, interests, location and more.
– Ad formats include News Feed ads, Stories ads, ads within videos and more.
– Powerful advertising platform, but user concerns over privacy and targeting continue.
**LinkedIn Ads**
– Offer limited targeting options by job title, industry, skills and interests.
– Focus on basic professional targeting rather than detailed psychographic targeting.
– Ad formats include Text ads, Sponsored Content, Message ads.
– Seen as less intrusive, but limited targeting can also reduce effectiveness.
Facebook’s vast troves of user data support more invasive, micro-targeted advertising. LinkedIn’s advertising is constrained by its stricter data practices. But LinkedIn members may be receptive to ads directly relevant to their professional interests.
Business and Professional Use
When it comes to business, career and professional development usage, LinkedIn is the more specialized platform:
**Facebook for Business**
– **Pages** – Free Pages allow businesses to establish an official presence on Facebook.
– **Ad Campaigns** – Use Facebook Ads platform to run targeted campaigns at various budgets.
– **Metrics** – Analyze Likes, Follows, post reach and engagement. Limited organic business visibility.
**LinkedIn for Business**
– **Company Pages** – Showcase organizations with LinkedIn Company Pages. Engage followers.
– **Ad Campaigns** – Run Sponsored Content and Text Ads leveraging professional targeting.
– **Recruiting** – Use Jobs and Recruiter features to source and evaluate talent.
– **Metrics** – Track followers, engagement, content reach and impact of efforts.
While many businesses use Facebook to market themselves and connect with consumers, LinkedIn is more purpose-built as a professional platform optimized for career branding and business objectives.
The ability to form professional connections, search jobs databases, learn hard skills and publish long-form thought leadership content is much more developed and prominent on LinkedIn compared to Facebook.
Conclusion
In summary, while sharing some similarities, Facebook and LinkedIn serve distinct purposes and are structured to meet different user needs:
**Facebook** is ideal for connecting with friends, family and communities around shared interests and life updates. It offers a breadth of features that support social engagement between a wide network of personal connections.
**LinkedIn** is optimized for career development through establishing a professional brand, networking with other professionals, searching and applying for jobs, and engaging with career-advancing content. It focuses on supporting these professional use cases.
Neither platform is inherently “better” – it comes down to aligning on your specific goals in using social media as part of your life or career. The majority of professionals maintain a presence on both Facebook and LinkedIn, taking advantage of the unique offerings of each.
References
1. Facebook Newsroom company info: https://about.fb.com/company-info/
2. LinkedIn about page: https://about.linkedin.com
3. Facebook privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/?entry_point=data_policy_redirect&entry=0
4. LinkedIn privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?trk=homepage-basic_footer-privacy-policy
5. Facebook ads overview: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/
6. LinkedIn marketing solutions: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions