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Do your LinkedIn followers recognizing you as a thought leader? Do numerous respondents praising your insights on growing your business? Are headhunters making contact to explore collaborations?

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

The Test: Changing Profile Gender to achieve Better Visibility

Dozens of women joined a collective professional network test recently after popular discussions suggested that changing their profile gender to "male" boosted their network presence.

Some participants rewrote their professional summaries to include what they called "bro-coded" language - inserting action-focused professional jargon like "propel", "transform" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their exposure also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Questions Raised

The improved metrics has led some to speculate whether an inherent gender bias in the platform's system favors male users who use online business jargon.

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

Company Statement

Through a company announcement, LinkedIn acknowledged the trend but stated it does not consider "demographic information" when deciding content distribution. Rather, the company mentioned that "numerous factors" influence how posts perform.

Changing gender in your settings does not influence how your content appears in search or feed.

Personal Experiences

A social media consultant, who modified her pronouns to "male pronouns" and her name to "Simon E", reported remarkable outcomes.

"The numbers I'm observing show a 1,600% increase in profile views and a 1,300% increase in impressions," she noted.

Another professional, a communications strategist, began experimenting after observing her reach decrease significantly.

The Process

• First, she changed her profile gender to "man"
• Subsequently, she used AI tools to rephrase her profile using "male-coded" language
• Finally, she repurposed old posts with similar "agentic" style

The result was immediate: a 415% increase in visibility within one week.

The Negative Aspect

Although the success, Cornish expressed unhappiness with the approach.

"Previously, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and human," she stated. "Currently, the masculine version was forceful and self-assured - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She abandoned the experiment after one week, stating "Each day I continued, and outcomes improved, I became more frustrated."

Varying Outcomes

Some participants experienced positive outcomes. One writer who modified both her gender to "male" and her ethnicity to "Caucasian" reported a reduction in visibility and engagement.

"We understand there's algorithmic bias, but it's very challenging to comprehend how it operates in specific cases or the reasons behind it," she commented.

Broader Implications

These experiments occur alongside ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's unique position as both a professional network and community site.

Recent changes in the past few months have apparently caused women professionals experiencing significantly reduced exposure, leading to informal experiments where identical posts by male and female users received dramatically unequal reach.

System Details

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to categorize and spread content based on multiple factors, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

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

A spokesperson proposed that current reductions in certain members' visibility might originate from increased competition due to additional posts on the network.

Changing Landscape

According to a tester observed, "bro-coding" appears to be growing on the network.

"People often view LinkedIn as more professional and polished," she commented. "This is evolving. It's turning into increasingly competitive and unpredictable."