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Are your LinkedIn followers viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters applauding your advice on growing your business? Are headhunters reaching out to explore opportunities?

Should that not be the case, the reason might be your gender.

The Test: Modifying Gender Identity to achieve Better Visibility

Dozens of women joined a collective professional network test recently after viral posts indicated that switching their gender to "male" enhanced their network presence.

Some participants rewrote their professional summaries to include what they termed "bro-coded" terminology - adding action-focused business buzzwords like "propel", "transform" and "expedite". Anecdotally, their exposure also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Raised

The engagement increase has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who employ online business jargon.

Similar to many large social media platforms, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to determine which posts appear to which members - boosting some while suppressing others.

Platform Response

Through a blog post, LinkedIn recognized the trend but stated it does not factor in "demographic information" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company mentioned that "hundreds of signals" influence how posts are received.

Changing gender in your settings does not affect how your content shows up in search or feed.

Personal Experiences

Simone Bonnett, who changed her gender identifiers to "male pronouns" and her name to "a masculine version", described remarkable results.

"The numbers I'm seeing indicate a 1,600% increase in profile views and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a marketing expert, began experimenting after noticing her audience decrease significantly.

The Method

• First, she modified her profile gender to "male"
• Then, she used AI tools to rephrase her professional summary using "masculine-oriented" language
• Lastly, she repurposed old posts with comparable "assertive" style

The outcome was immediate: a more than fourfold rise in reach within one week.

The Downside

Although the success, Cornish expressed dissatisfaction with the approach.

"Previously, my posts were softer - brief and insightful, but also warm and relatable," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was forceful and confident - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She discontinued the experiment after seven days, saying "Each day I persisted, and outcomes got better, I became angrier."

Varying Outcomes

Not all participants encountered favorable outcomes. Cass Cooper who changed both her profile gender to "male" and her race to "white" described a decrease in visibility and interaction.

"We know there's systemic preference, but it's extremely difficult to understand how it operates in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she remarked.

Broader Implications

These experiments occur alongside continuing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a business platform and community site.

Recent changes in recent months have apparently resulted in female creators experiencing significantly reduced visibility, resulting in informal experiments where identical posts by male and female users received vastly different reach.

Technical Explanation

Per LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to categorize and distribute content based on various elements, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

The company claims it frequently assesses its algorithms, including "examinations of inequalities based on gender."

Company representative suggested that current reductions in some users' reach might stem from increased competition due to additional posts on the platform.

Evolving Environment

As one participant noted, "bro-coding" appears to be increasing on the platform.

"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she commented. "That's changing. It's becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable."