A remarkable collective experiment on LinkedIn has revealed that women can significantly boost their visibility and engagement on the professional network by presenting as men and adopting stereotypically male-coded language.
The 'Bro-Coding' Phenomenon Takes Off
Dozens of women participated in the informal study after viral posts suggested that changing their displayed gender to "male" could dramatically increase their reach. The trend, dubbed "bro-coding," involves rewriting profiles using action-oriented business buzzwords like "drive," "transform," and "accelerate."
The surprising results have led many to question whether LinkedIn's algorithm contains an inherent bias that favours content from men, particularly those who communicate using established online business jargon.
Staggering Results from Profile Changes
Simone Bonnett, an Oxford-based social media consultant, witnessed extraordinary metrics after adjusting his profile. "The kind of stats that I'm seeing at the moment are a 1,600% increase in profile views," Bonnett reported, "and a 1,300% increase in impressions. Also wild reach stats."
Bonnett changed his pronouns to "he/him" and modified his name to 'Simon E' on the platform earlier this week as part of the experiment.
Communications strategist Megan Cornish documented an even more systematic approach. After noticing her reach declining sharply, she changed her gender setting to "male" and used ChatGPT to rewrite her profile using "male-coded" language. She then repurposed old, poorly performing posts with similarly "agentic" wording.
The outcome was immediate and substantial. Cornish's reach spiked by 415% in the week following her changes, and her post about the experience went viral, accumulating nearly 5,000 reactions.
The Psychological Toll of Performance
Despite the numerical success, Cornish found the experience deeply unsatisfying. She described her previous content as "soft," "concise and clever, but also like warm and human." In contrast, her "bro-coded" persona felt assertive and self-assured - "like a white male swaggering around."
"I was going to do it for a full month," Cornish admitted. "But every day I did it, and things got better and better, I got madder and madder." She abandoned the experiment after just one week.
LinkedIn's Response and Broader Implications
In an official blog post addressing the trend, LinkedIn denied that demographic information influences content distribution. A spokesperson stated that "hundreds of signals" determine post performance and asserted that "changing gender on your profile does not affect how your content appears in search or feed."
The platform acknowledged using an AI system to classify feed posts, considering content along with the poster's professional identity and skills. LinkedIn claims to conduct regular algorithm evaluations, including "checks for gender-related disparities."
However, not all participants experienced increased visibility. Cass Cooper, a writer on technology and social media algorithms, changed both her gender to "male" and her race to "white" (Cooper is Black). She reported a decline in her profile's reach and engagement, echoing experiences discussed by other women of colour on the platform.
Cooper suggested these experiments reflect broader societal biases rather than solely platform-specific issues. "I'm not frustrated with the platform," she commented. "I'm more frustrated with the lack of progress [in society]."
Bonnett observed that the "bro-coding" trend appears to be increasing, noting that LinkedIn is becoming less genteel and businesslike and more like "the wild west."
As professionals continue to navigate these algorithmic challenges, the experiment raises significant questions about authenticity, performance, and equity in digital professional spaces.
