🔗 Share this article

Are your professional networking followers recognizing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your insights on expanding your venture? Are headhunters reaching out to discuss opportunities?

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

The Test: Changing Gender Identity for Better Visibility

Numerous female professionals participated in an organized LinkedIn experiment this week following viral posts suggested that switching their profile gender to "male" boosted their network presence.

Some participants modified their professional summaries to include what they termed "bro-coded" terminology - inserting action-focused professional jargon like "propel", "transform" and "expedite". Based on reports, their visibility also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Raised

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in gender bias in the platform's system prioritizes male users who use professional networking terminology.

Similar to many large networking sites, LinkedIn employs an algorithm to decide which posts appear to which users - boosting some while reducing others.

Platform Response

Through a company announcement, LinkedIn recognized the phenomenon but claimed it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company mentioned that "numerous factors" affect how content are received.

Modifying profile gender on your profile does not affect how your posts shows up in results or timelines.

Personal Experiences

A social media consultant, who modified her gender identifiers to "he/him" and her name to "a masculine version", described extraordinary outcomes.

"The statistics I'm seeing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in visitor traffic and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.

Another professional, a marketing expert, started testing after observing her audience decline substantially.

The Process

• First, she modified her gender to "man"
• Subsequently, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her professional summary using "masculine-oriented" language
• Finally, she recycled old posts with similar "assertive" language

The outcome was instantaneous: a 415% increase in visibility within seven days.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the success, Cornish voiced unhappiness with the method.

"Previously, my content were softer - concise and clever, but also friendly and relatable," she stated. "Currently, the bro-coded version was forceful and confident - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She discontinued the experiment after one week, stating "Every day I persisted, and results 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 "white" described a decrease in reach and engagement.

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

Broader Implications

These experiments coincide with ongoing conversations about LinkedIn's unique role as both a business platform and social space.

Platform modifications in recent months have apparently resulted in female creators experiencing significantly reduced visibility, leading to informal experiments where the same content by male and female users received vastly different reach.

Technical Explanation

Per LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to classify and distribute posts based on various elements, including what's shared and the member's career profile.

The company claims it regularly evaluates its systems, including "examinations of inequalities based on gender."

Company representative proposed that recent declines in certain members' visibility might originate from increased competition due to more content on the platform.

Evolving Environment

As one participant noted, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be increasing on the network.

"People often view LinkedIn as more professional and polished," she commented. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and less controlled."