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Are your LinkedIn followers viewing you as a thought leader? Are hordes of respondents praising your insights on growing your business? Are headhunters reaching out to explore opportunities?

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

The Test: Changing Gender Identity to achieve Better Visibility

Dozens of women participated in an organized LinkedIn experiment this week following popular discussions indicated that changing their gender to "man" boosted their network presence.

Some participants modified their professional summaries to incorporate what they termed "masculine-oriented" language - inserting action-focused business buzzwords like "propel", "revolutionize" and "accelerate". Anecdotally, their visibility also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Concerns Brought Up

The engagement increase has led some to speculate whether a built-in sexism in the platform's system favors men who use professional networking terminology.

Similar to many large social media platforms, LinkedIn utilizes an algorithm to decide which posts are shown to which members - promoting some while suppressing others.

Platform Response

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but claimed it does not factor in "demographic information" when deciding content distribution. Rather, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" influence how content perform.

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

Individual Results

Simone Bonnett, who changed her pronouns to "he/him" and her name to "a masculine version", described remarkable outcomes.

"The statistics I'm observing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in visitor traffic and a thirteen-fold jump in content views," she commented.

Another professional, a marketing expert, started testing after noticing her reach decline significantly.

The Process

• Initially, she changed her gender to "male"
• Subsequently, she used AI tools to rewrite her profile using "male-coded" wording
• Finally, she repurposed previous content with similar "assertive" style

The outcome was instantaneous: a more than fourfold rise in visibility within seven days.

The Negative Aspect

Despite the positive results, Cornish expressed dissatisfaction with the method.

"Before, my posts were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and human," she stated. "Now, the bro-coded version was forceful and self-assured - like a white male swaggering around."

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

Varying Outcomes

Not all participants experienced favorable results. Cass Cooper who modified both her gender to "man" and her ethnicity to "Caucasian" reported a decrease in reach and engagement.

"We know there's systemic preference, but it's very challenging to comprehend how it functions in particular situations or the reasons behind it," she commented.

Broader Implications

These tests coincide with ongoing discussions about LinkedIn's unique position as both a professional network and social space.

Platform modifications in the past few months have reportedly caused women professionals experiencing markedly lower visibility, leading to unofficial tests where identical posts by men and women received vastly different reach.

Technical Explanation

According to LinkedIn, the platform uses AI systems to categorize and spread 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 proposed that current reductions in certain members' visibility might stem from increased competition due to more content on the platform.

Evolving Environment

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

"Users typically consider LinkedIn as more businesslike and polished," she commented. "That's changing. It's turning into increasingly competitive and less controlled."