that's fair. on the other hand, i'd rather use a platform with higher quality people (regardless of quantity) than a platform that simply values vanity metrics. i guess it also depends what you're using linkedin for.
It's a combination of the current market and the area of work. One Elixir position I want had their hiring guy say on Slack they now have 900+ applications and that's some short 2 weeks after the job ad was posted. Crazy.
Unless your potential product is for tech users, I don't think IndieHackers is a good place to discuss your idea. If you're building software for cafe owners or dentists, then you need to be talking to groups of cafe owners or dentists, not other tech guys like you.