🔗 Share this article

Are your LinkedIn connections viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your insights on expanding your business? Do recruiters reaching out to explore collaborations?

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

The Experiment: Modifying Gender Identity to achieve Increased Reach

Dozens of women participated in a collective LinkedIn experiment this week after viral posts suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" enhanced their platform visibility.

Some participants modified their professional summaries to incorporate what they termed "bro-coded" terminology - inserting results-driven professional jargon like "propel", "transform" and "expedite". Based on reports, their exposure similarly increased.

Systemic Preference Concerns Raised

The engagement increase has caused some to wonder whether an inherent sexism in the platform's system prioritizes male users who employ online business jargon.

Like most major social media platforms, LinkedIn employs a computerized system to determine which posts are shown to which users - boosting some while reducing others.

Company Statement

In a recent blog post, LinkedIn recognized the trend but claimed it does not consider "demographic information" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" affect how content are received.

Modifying profile gender in your settings does not influence how your content appears in search or feed.

Individual Results

A social media consultant, who modified her gender identifiers to "male pronouns" and her profile name to "a masculine version", reported extraordinary results.

"The numbers I'm seeing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in visitor traffic and a thirteen-fold jump in content views," she noted.

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

The Process

• First, she modified her profile gender to "male"
• Then, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her profile using "masculine-oriented" wording
• Finally, she recycled old posts with similar "assertive" language

The outcome was instantaneous: a 415% increase in reach within one week.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the success, Cornish expressed unhappiness with the method.

"Previously, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and relatable," she stated. "Currently, the bro-coded version was assertive and confident - similar to a white male being overly confident."

She discontinued the test after seven days, saying "Each day I persisted, and outcomes got better, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Some testers experienced favorable outcomes. Cass Cooper who modified both her gender to "man" and her race to "white" reported a reduction in reach and interaction.

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

Broader Implications

These tests occur alongside ongoing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a business platform and social space.

Recent changes in the past few months have apparently resulted in female creators experiencing markedly lower visibility, resulting in informal experiments where the same content by male and female users received dramatically unequal reach.

System Details

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to categorize and spread content based on various elements, including what's shared and the member's career profile.

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

Company representative proposed that current reductions in certain members' visibility might originate from higher volume due to more content on the network.

Changing Landscape

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

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