We are all humans. There are commonalities that binds us all, baked into our DNA. One of those common threads is the desire for increased social status. We use status to denote in-group and out-group. We use it as a weapon when we verbally decrease a person or group’s status. We use it as a reward which can also be used to control people.
Often status is automatic. For example, I play USTA tennis. I’m a strong 4.0 player. When I am around 4.5 players, they automatically have higher status and I defer to them. When I am around 3.5 players, I notice automatic increased social status for myself. It goes beyond just “on the court” interactions. It bleeds off the court as well. No one says anything about it, but its noticeable nonetheless.
The workplace is a key environment where status is deeply embedded. Titles are one of the most prevalent tools to organize the group. (note: Product Design levels) We make so many levels, which ultimately are just words that don’t mean much. A senior designer isn’t a “better” designer than a new grad. It’s fascinating to me that people will actually choose a higher title rather than more money.
I see in our current US president an almost sociopathic drive for status. Sticking his name on the Kennedy Center is one example, but the remaking of the White House is a much more invasive change. Look at the size of the proposed ballroom.
The ballroom and office space is so enormous that it completely changes the property. It even requires changing the driveway to be asymmetrical. See design deep dive. I actually interpret 90% of his actions and words through the lens of a deeply troubled old man desperately seeking to amass status. It’s terrible and gross, but also pitiable.
I remember an executive at Sony in 1994 would count the number of tiles in his office ceiling to see if he had more than one of his peers. Size of office, title, view from the window, what floor you are on. We use everything to denote status.
For a deep dive on status see The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. I read it to my kids when they were little.
What I think is missing from education and mentoring is teaching how to navigate social status. The Dr. Suess book alone is not enough. I don’t think we can ever escape from status as a thing we crave, but we can educate ourselves to the dangers of focusing too much on it.
With AI seeping into the public consciousness, I wonder how personal status is going to be affected. Right now, everyone has a phone and can google the same results or look up the same articles on Wikipedia. Will there be tiers of AI that poor people get shitty answers and rich people get better advice? Status and money are not disappearing. (or are they?!)
The world is a topsy-turvy roller coaster these days. I think it’s good to think about our baseline humanity and how it is evolving or changing; even if we don’t quite see how in the moment.
Whatya think?