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Are your professional networking followers recognizing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your advice on growing your business? Do recruiters making contact to explore collaborations?

Should that not be the case, the reason could be that you're not male.

The Test: Changing Gender Identity to achieve Better Visibility

Dozens of female professionals participated in a collective professional network test this week after popular discussions suggested that changing their gender to "man" enhanced their network presence.

Some participants rewrote their professional summaries to include what they termed "bro-coded" language - inserting results-driven business buzzwords like "propel", "transform" and "accelerate". Anecdotally, their exposure similarly increased.

Systemic Preference Questions Raised

The improved metrics has led some to speculate whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who employ professional networking terminology.

Like many large social media platforms, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to decide which posts are shown to which members - promoting some while suppressing others.

Platform Response

Through a company announcement, LinkedIn recognized the trend but claimed it does not factor in "demographic information" when determining content distribution. Rather, the company explained that "numerous factors" affect how content are received.

Changing gender in your settings does not affect how your content appears in results or timelines.

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who modified her gender identifiers to "he/him" and her name to "Simon E", described remarkable results.

"The statistics I'm observing show 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 observing her reach decrease substantially.

The Method

• Initially, she modified her gender to "man"
• Then, she used artificial intelligence to rewrite her professional summary using "masculine-oriented" wording
• Finally, she repurposed old posts with similar "agentic" language

The outcome was immediate: a more than fourfold rise in reach within seven days.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the success, Cornish voiced dissatisfaction with the method.

"Before, my posts were softer - brief and clever, but also friendly and relatable," she stated. "Currently, the bro-coded version was forceful and confident - similar to a white male being overly confident."

She abandoned the test after seven days, stating "Each day I continued, and results improved, I became angrier."

Varying Outcomes

Not all testers encountered favorable outcomes. One writer who modified both her gender to "male" and her race to "white" reported a decrease in visibility and interaction.

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

Wider Consequences

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

Recent changes in recent months have reportedly resulted in women professionals experiencing significantly reduced exposure, leading to informal experiments where identical posts by men and women received vastly different reach.

System Details

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses artificial intelligence to classify and distribute content based on multiple factors, including what's shared and the member's career profile.

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

A spokesperson suggested that current reductions in some users' reach might stem from higher volume due to additional posts on the platform.

Evolving Environment

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

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