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Are your LinkedIn followers viewing you as a industry expert? Are hordes of commenters applauding your advice on growing your business? Do recruiters reaching out to discuss opportunities?

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

The Test: Modifying Gender Identity for Better Visibility

Dozens of female professionals participated in an organized LinkedIn experiment recently following viral posts suggested that switching their profile gender to "man" boosted their platform visibility.

Other testers modified their profiles to include what they called "bro-coded" language - inserting action-focused business buzzwords like "propel", "revolutionize" and "accelerate". Based on reports, their visibility also improved.

Systemic Preference Questions Raised

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

Like most major networking sites, LinkedIn utilizes a computerized system to decide which posts appear to which users - promoting some while suppressing others.

Company Statement

In a recent company announcement, LinkedIn acknowledged the phenomenon but stated it does not consider "personal characteristics" when deciding post visibility. Instead, the company explained that "hundreds of signals" influence how content are received.

Changing gender in your settings does not affect how your posts shows up in results or timelines.

Individual Results

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

"The statistics I'm observing show a 1,600% increase in profile views and a 1,300% increase in impressions," she commented.

Megan Cornish, a communications strategist, began experimenting after observing her reach decrease significantly.

The Method

• Initially, she changed her gender to "man"
• Then, she used artificial intelligence to rephrase her professional summary using "masculine-oriented" language
• Finally, she recycled previous content with comparable "assertive" language

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

The Negative Aspect

Although the positive results, Cornish expressed unhappiness with the method.

"Previously, my content were more personal - concise and insightful, but also warm and relatable," she explained. "Currently, the bro-coded version was forceful and self-assured - similar to a white male swaggering around."

She discontinued the experiment after seven days, stating "Every day I continued, and outcomes improved, I became more frustrated."

Mixed Results

Not all participants experienced favorable outcomes. Cass Cooper who modified both her gender to "man" and her race to "white" described a decrease in reach and engagement.

"We understand there's algorithmic bias, but it's very challenging to understand how it operates in particular situations or why," she remarked.

Wider Consequences

These experiments coincide with ongoing conversations about LinkedIn's distinctive position as both a business platform and social space.

Recent changes in the past few months have reportedly caused female creators experiencing significantly reduced visibility, resulting in unofficial tests where identical content by male and female users received dramatically unequal audience engagement.

System Details

Per LinkedIn, the network uses artificial intelligence to classify and spread content based on multiple factors, including what's shared and the user's professional identity.

The company claims it regularly evaluates its systems, including "examinations of inequalities based on gender."

Company representative proposed that current reductions in certain members' visibility might stem from increased competition due to additional posts on the network.

Evolving Environment

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

"Users typically consider LinkedIn as more professional and refined," she commented. "That's changing. It's becoming increasingly aggressive and less controlled."