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Are your LinkedIn followers viewing you as a thought leader? Do numerous commenters praising your advice on expanding your venture? Are headhunters reaching out to explore opportunities?

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

The Experiment: Changing Profile Gender for Better Visibility

Dozens of female professionals participated in an organized LinkedIn experiment this week after viral posts suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" enhanced their network presence.

Other testers modified their profiles to incorporate what they termed "masculine-oriented" language - inserting results-driven business buzzwords like "propel", "revolutionize" and "expedite". Based on reports, their visibility also improved.

Algorithmic Bias Questions Raised

The improved metrics has caused some to wonder whether a built-in gender bias in the platform's system prioritizes male users who employ online business jargon.

Like many large social media platforms, LinkedIn employs an algorithm to determine which content are shown to which users - boosting some while suppressing others.

Company Statement

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn recognized the phenomenon but claimed it does not factor in "personal characteristics" when determining post visibility. Rather, the company mentioned that "hundreds of signals" affect how posts are received.

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

Personal Experiences

Simone Bonnett, who modified her gender identifiers to "male pronouns" and her name to "a masculine version", reported extraordinary results.

"The statistics I'm observing indicate a sixteen-fold rise in profile views and a 1,300% increase in content views," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a marketing expert, started testing after observing her audience decrease substantially.

The Method

• Initially, she changed her gender to "male"
• Subsequently, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her profile using "male-coded" language
• Finally, she recycled old posts with similar "agentic" style

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

The Downside

Despite the success, Cornish expressed unhappiness with the approach.

"Before, my content were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and human," she explained. "Currently, the masculine version was forceful and confident - like a white male being overly confident."

She abandoned the experiment after one week, stating "Each day I continued, and results improved, I became more frustrated."

Varying Outcomes

Not all testers experienced favorable results. One writer who modified both her profile gender to "male" and her race to "white" reported a decrease in reach and interaction.

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

Broader Implications

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

Platform modifications in the past few months have reportedly caused female creators experiencing significantly reduced visibility, leading to informal experiments where identical posts by men and women received vastly different reach.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the network uses AI systems to classify and distribute content based on various elements, including what's shared and the member's career profile.

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

Company representative suggested that recent declines in certain members' visibility might originate from higher volume due to more content on the network.

Evolving Environment

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

"Users typically consider LinkedIn as more professional and refined," she commented. "This is evolving. It's becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable."