LinkedIn has decided to eliminate its standalone live audio feature, which you probably forgot existed, to focus on improving other aspects of its platform.
Tl;dr
- LinkedIn is discontinuing its live audio events feature and integrating it with LinkedIn Live starting in December 2024.
- Other platforms like Reddit, Facebook, Spotify and Amazon have also discontinued their audio products launched during the pandemic.
- Live audio remains popular on X.
Live audio, a trend born during the pandemic
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, live audio became a viral phenomenon. Popularized by the Clubhouse app, this format allowed users to connect, listen and participate in discussions in real time, providing a space to socialize while physical interactions were limited. In response, other major platforms, including LinkedIn, have launched similar features to capitalize on this trend. LinkedIn, although arriving later, introduced its live audio events in 2022, seeking to create virtual exchange spaces for its professional users.
The end of audio events on LinkedIn
However, LinkedIn decided to abandon this feature after just two years. From December 2, 2024, it will be impossible to create new live audio events, and those already planned will stop working as of December 31. The professional platform explained that this functionality would be integrated into LinkedIn Live, its video live streaming tool, requiring the use of third-party tools for audio streams. This change highlights a reality: although live audio has been popular during the pandemic, it has not found a lasting place in LinkedIn’s ecosystem.
A general decline on social platforms
LinkedIn isn’t the only platform to abandon live audio. Reddit, Facebook, Spotify and Amazon have also shut down audio products launched during the pandemic. This general decline reflects an awareness: interest in audio events, although intense at one point, has diminished with the lifting of health restrictions. Platforms have shifted to more engaging formats, like video, which offer greater interactivity and better monetization potential.
Live audio persists on X
Despite this general trend, live audio remains active on X (formerly Twitter). Although the platform is experiencing some technical issues, live audio continues to be a key part of interactions on X, with regular live events. This format still finds its audience, even if the pandemic largely fueled its initial popularity. X thus seems to be the last bastion for live audio in a world where this format is becoming more and more marginal on other platforms.
An evolution of formats after the pandemic
The move away from live audio events on LinkedIn reflects a general shift in user and platform preferences post-pandemic. While live audio has played a key role in virtual socializing during lockdowns, it now seems to be taking a back seat in favor of more visual and flexible formats. LinkedIn, by redirecting audio to its LinkedIn Live functionality, is choosing to adapt to a post-COVID reality, where online interaction is increasingly done through video and multimedia content.
