🔗 Share this article

Do your professional networking followers viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your advice on growing your business? Are headhunters making contact to discuss collaborations?

If not, the explanation might be that you're not male.

The Test: Changing Profile Gender to achieve Increased Reach

Numerous women joined an organized professional network test recently following popular discussions suggested that changing their profile gender to "male" enhanced their platform visibility.

Other testers rewrote their profiles to include what they called "bro-coded" terminology - adding action-focused business buzzwords like "drive", "revolutionize" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their exposure similarly increased.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Brought Up

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether an inherent sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who employ online business jargon.

Similar to most major social media platforms, LinkedIn employs a computerized system to decide which posts appear to which members - promoting some while reducing others.

Company Statement

Through a blog post, LinkedIn recognized the trend but stated it does not consider "personal characteristics" when deciding post visibility. Instead, the company explained that "numerous factors" affect how posts are received.

Changing gender on your profile does not influence how your content shows up in search or feed.

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who changed her pronouns to "male pronouns" and her name to "Simon E", reported extraordinary outcomes.

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

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

The Process

• First, she changed her gender to "male"
• Subsequently, she used artificial intelligence to rewrite her profile using "male-coded" wording
• Finally, she repurposed old posts with comparable "assertive" language

The outcome was instantaneous: a more than fourfold rise in visibility within one week.

The Downside

Although the success, Cornish voiced dissatisfaction with the approach.

"Before, my content were more personal - brief and clever, but also friendly and relatable," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was assertive and self-assured - like a Caucasian man swaggering around."

She abandoned the test after one week, stating "Every day I continued, and results improved, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Some participants experienced positive outcomes. One writer who changed both her profile gender to "male" and her race to "Caucasian" described a decrease in reach and interaction.

"We understand there's algorithmic bias, but it's extremely difficult to comprehend how it operates in particular situations or why," she remarked.

Broader Implications

These tests coincide with continuing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a professional network and community site.

Recent changes in the past few months have apparently caused female creators experiencing markedly lower visibility, resulting in unofficial tests where identical posts by male and female users received dramatically unequal audience engagement.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to categorize and distribute posts based on various elements, including post content and the member's career profile.

The company states it regularly evaluates its algorithms, including "examinations of gender-related disparities."

A spokesperson suggested that current reductions in certain members' visibility might stem from higher volume due to more content on the platform.

Evolving Environment

According to a tester observed, "masculine-oriented language" appears to be increasing on the platform.

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