LinkedIn 2026: All in eller inte alls? : En fokusgruppsstudie om studenter vid tre utbildningsprograms förhållningssätt till LinkedIn

Sammanfattning

This study examines how students in three porgram studies at Umeå University relate to LinkedIn in 2026. The purpose is to analyze how students perceivethe platform’s expectations, how these effect their self-presentation and behavior, and how LinkedIn arouses feelings of stress, comparison and futureconfidence in relation to the labor market. The study is based on a qualitative research approach and empirical materail has been collected trough threefocus group intervies with a total of ten students from Human Resources Program, the Master of Business Administration Program and Media and Communications Studies/Strategic Communication.The material has been analyzed thematically with support from Erving Goffman’s dramaturgicaltheory, Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, and the concept of performative habitus. The results show that LinkedIn is understod as a professional arena where norms of visibility, activity, and professionalism affect how student present themselves. The platform functions as a frontstage enviroment where students are expected to appear competent, relevant and employable to imaginedaudience of employers, recruiters and professional contacts. At the same time, LinkedIn arouses both inspiration and uncertainty. Exposure to others’ achievements can create confidence in the future, but also stress, selfdoubt and social comparison. The study also shows that the platform’s techniccalfeatures, such as flow, notifications, profile views and visibility, contribute to reinforcing norms of continuous activity and professional presence. Differences between educationalprograms also indicate that students’ relationship to LinkedIn is shaped by different educational enviromentsandperceptions of the labor market. The study thus contributes to a deeper understanding of LinkedIn as a sociotechnical space where professional identity, employability and future perceptions are negotiated.