🔗 Share this article

Are your LinkedIn followers recognizing you as a industry expert? Are hordes of commenters applauding your insights on expanding your venture? Are headhunters reaching out to explore opportunities?

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

The Test: Modifying Profile Gender for Better Visibility

Numerous female professionals joined a collective LinkedIn experiment recently following popular discussions suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" boosted their network presence.

Other testers rewrote their profiles to include what they termed "bro-coded" terminology - adding results-driven business buzzwords like "drive", "transform" and "expedite". Based on reports, their exposure similarly increased.

Algorithmic Bias Questions Brought Up

The engagement increase has caused some to wonder whether a built-in gender bias in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes men who employ professional networking terminology.

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

Platform Response

In a recent blog post, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but stated it does not factor in "demographic information" when deciding content distribution. Rather, the company explained that "numerous factors" affect how content perform.

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

Personal Experiences

Simone Bonnett, who modified her gender identifiers to "he/him" and her profile name to "a masculine version", described extraordinary results.

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

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

The Method

• First, she changed her gender to "man"
• Then, she used AI tools to rewrite her professional summary using "male-coded" wording
• Finally, she repurposed previous content with similar "assertive" language

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

The Negative Aspect

Although the positive results, Cornish voiced unhappiness with the approach.

"Previously, my content were more personal - brief and insightful, but also warm and relatable," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was forceful and confident - like a Caucasian man swaggering around."

She abandoned the experiment after seven days, stating "Every day I continued, and results got better, I became angrier."

Varying Outcomes

Not all testers experienced positive results. One writer who changed both her profile gender to "man" and her race to "Caucasian" described a reduction in reach and interaction.

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

Broader Implications

These experiments occur alongside ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's distinctive role as both a professional network and social space.

Platform modifications in the past few months have reportedly resulted in female creators experiencing significantly reduced exposure, resulting in unofficial tests 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 distribute content based on various elements, including post content and the member's career profile.

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

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

Evolving Environment

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

"People often view LinkedIn as more professional and refined," she remarked. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable."