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Do your LinkedIn connections viewing you as a industry expert? Are hordes of respondents praising your insights on expanding your business? Do recruiters reaching out to explore opportunities?

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

The Test: Modifying Profile Gender for Increased Reach

Dozens of women participated in an organized professional network test this week following viral posts suggested that switching their gender to "male" boosted their network presence.

Some participants modified their professional summaries to include what they called "bro-coded" language - inserting results-driven professional jargon like "drive", "transform" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their visibility also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Questions Brought Up

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in sexism in LinkedIn's algorithm favors male users who use online business jargon.

Like many large networking sites, LinkedIn employs an algorithm to decide which content are shown to which users - promoting some while reducing others.

Company Statement

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but stated it does not consider "demographic information" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" affect how posts perform.

Modifying profile gender on your profile does not affect how your posts shows up in search or feed.

Personal Experiences

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

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

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

The Process

• First, she changed her profile gender to "male"
• Then, she used AI tools to rewrite her professional summary using "male-coded" language
• Finally, she repurposed old posts with similar "assertive" style

The result was immediate: a more than fourfold rise in reach within one week.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the success, Cornish expressed unhappiness with the method.

"Before, my posts were softer - concise and clever, but also friendly and human," she explained. "Now, the masculine version was forceful and self-assured - similar to a Caucasian man swaggering around."

She discontinued the test after seven days, saying "Every day I persisted, and results improved, I became angrier."

Mixed Results

Not all participants experienced favorable results. Cass Cooper who changed both her profile gender to "male" and her ethnicity to "Caucasian" reported a reduction in reach and interaction.

"We know there's algorithmic bias, but it's extremely difficult to understand how it operates in specific cases or the reasons behind it," she commented.

Wider Consequences

These experiments coincide with continuing discussions about LinkedIn's distinctive role as both a professional network and social space.

Recent changes in the past few months have apparently caused female creators experiencing markedly lower exposure, resulting in informal experiments where the same content by men and women received dramatically unequal reach.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to categorize and distribute posts based on various elements, including post content and the member's career profile.

The company claims it frequently assesses its algorithms, including "checks for gender-related disparities."

Company representative proposed that recent declines in certain members' visibility might originate from higher volume due to additional posts on the platform.

Changing Landscape

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

"Users typically consider LinkedIn as more businesslike and refined," she remarked. "That's changing. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and unpredictable."