Sometimes, in the relentless hum of our professional lives, a moment of unexpected honesty can stop us in our tracks. I wanted to share something a little personal, something that nudged me gently today and made me pause. I was chatting with a very senior level executive and she mentioned how a well-intentioned LinkedIn post, a simple act of sharing her thoughts and expressing something she was excited about, drew an uninvited critique. Someone, seemingly an expert in digital forensics, pointed out her use of dashes, claiming they revealed her AI assistance.
My heart sank a little when I heard that. Not because of the AI, but because of the immediate judgment, the unspoken rule that seems to be forming around how we're "allowed" to show up online. It's a frustrating for me. We crave authenticity, but then police the very tools that can help us find our voice, especially in a world that demands constant output. This intense scrutiny, this shaming around how, when, and with what "righteousness" we use new tools, feels like it misses the entire point.
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting the ick from all the self-righteous takes about how people are showing up on LinkedIn? The constant criticism of self-promotion, using AI, building personal brands, it’s exhausting.
As someone building a brand, growing a side hustle, and genuinely trying to build community, posting is hard. Not performatively hard. Not trendy-hard. It’s vulnerable. Putting your voice out there and hoping it lands somewhere meaningful in a feed crowded with bots, noise, and curated authenticity takes guts.
Social strategy takes time. Commenting takes intention. Showing up consistently takes energy. And as someone in operations, I’m wired for efficiency, I look for every way to work efficiently, but even then, the emotional lift is real. And who has unlimited time to post, comment, and manage a full-blown content strategy? Across multiple channels, at that?
Sure, AI and algorithms have complicated the landscape. But they’ve also made it easier to see who is truly showing up, authentically.
The generic content? Easy to scroll past.
The substance? You can feel it.
Whether someone uses a long dash or leans on AI to shape their ideas, what matters is the intention behind the post.
So when I see creators criticized for trying, experimenting, pivoting, or simply showing up before they’ve figured it all out, it gives me major ick. Like yuck, really? You are an adult bully trying to get likes as well, but in a cruel way. There is nothing cringe about being in the messy middle. That is where courage lives. Growth doesn't come with a perfect caption. It comes from showing up anyway.
Shaming people for learning, especially when it comes to tools like AI, doesn’t make anyone an expert or smarter. It makes them unkind.
Let people build.
Let them learn.
Let them show up.
We need more space for that and far less finger pointing. Everyone is out here with different goals, different capacities, and different learning curves. So the constant judgment and the "you're doing it wrong" energy is exhausting.
Yes, I respect people who don’t use AI. I also respect people who do.
I respect people who write from the heart, who use templates, who edit with ChatGPT, and who are simply trying to figure out how to get their message across.
What I don’t respect is content full of vague critiques, performative hot takes, or callouts aimed at creators who are just trying. That kind of commentary isn’t helping anyone grow. It’s just noise.
There seems to be more generic finger-wagging than actual bad content on here.
Ask yourself, When did we trade genuine message for perfect packaging?
For me, the real flex is creating something real and letting others do the same.
Until next time, own your story. Burn the script.
XOXO Jenny