I've been spending much time on LinkedIn since I'm on a job hunt. My track record of finding jobs and gigs on LinkedIn has always been positive. Fast Company published an interesting article about a potential new technology that is supposed to tell if people lie on their LinkedIn profiles. Here's a quote from the article:
At its last count, LinkedIn says it has around 850 million members worldwide. However, unless a user takes the time to fill out a form identifying fake or inaccurate information about an imposter account, it’s nearly impossible for the social media platform to determine whether profiles contain false claims about a person’s education or employment. One survey found that 34% of LinkedIn profiles contain inaccurate or misleading information.
While the benefits of LinkedIn still outweigh the negatives for me, I'll admit I've been seeing the site change for the worst, especially regarding fake profiles and such. Given the current economic climate and job market, I can only guess how this lying trend on LinkedIn will go.