🔗 Share this article

Do your professional networking followers viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters applauding your insights on growing your venture? 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 Increased Reach

Dozens of women participated in a collective LinkedIn experiment recently following popular discussions indicated that changing their profile gender to "man" enhanced their platform visibility.

Other testers rewrote their professional summaries to incorporate what they called "masculine-oriented" language - inserting results-driven professional jargon like "propel", "transform" and "expedite". Based on reports, their exposure also improved.

Systemic Preference Questions Brought Up

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes male users who use 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 recognized the trend but claimed it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company mentioned that "hundreds of signals" influence how content are received.

Changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content shows up in results or timelines.

Individual Results

A social media consultant, who changed her pronouns to "he/him" and her name to "Simon E", reported remarkable outcomes.

"The statistics I'm observing show a sixteen-fold rise in profile views and a thirteen-fold jump in content views," she noted.

Another professional, a marketing expert, began experimenting after noticing her reach decrease significantly.

The Method

• Initially, she changed her gender to "man"
• Subsequently, she used AI tools to rephrase her profile using "masculine-oriented" wording
• Finally, she recycled old posts with comparable "assertive" language

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

The Downside

Despite the success, Cornish voiced unhappiness with the method.

"Previously, my content were more personal - concise and clever, but also friendly and relatable," she stated. "Currently, the masculine version was assertive and self-assured - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She discontinued the test after one week, stating "Every day I persisted, and results got better, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Some testers encountered favorable outcomes. One writer who changed both her profile gender to "male" and her ethnicity to "white" described a decrease in visibility and engagement.

"We know there's algorithmic bias, but it's very challenging to comprehend how it functions in specific cases or why," she commented.

Wider Consequences

These experiments occur alongside ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a business platform and community site.

Platform modifications in recent months have reportedly caused female creators experiencing markedly lower visibility, resulting in informal experiments where the same posts by men and women received vastly different audience engagement.

Technical Explanation

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to classify and spread content based on various elements, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

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

Company representative suggested that current reductions in some users' reach might originate from increased competition due to additional posts on the platform.

Changing Landscape

According to a tester noted, "bro-coding" appears to be increasing on the platform.

"People often view LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she remarked. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and unpredictable."