Status and Culture

An examination of how we achieve social status by what we consume and how that affects the culture as a whole Contrary to belief, status signaling isn't just the provenance of the immature or insecure, but a fundamental human need to secure social standing. It drives our behavior, forms our tastes, sets what we buy, and ultimately, determines who we are. It's what's behind "cool," and what drives fashion, music, food, sports, slang, travel, hairstyles, and dog breeds-and even the outsized influence of unpopular things with the "right" audience. In Status and Culture, W. David Marx weaves together history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, cultural theory, literary theory, art history, media studies, and neuroscience to reveal for the first time the inner workings of status. While there have been some explorations in the past about how status needs affect our individual behavior, Status and Culture seeks to go one step deeper and link the behavior of individuals to the formation of our broader culture, at the exact time that the Internet is changing human society in ways that only the concept of status can explain. Marx examines three fundamental questions: Why do individuals cluster around arbitrary behaviors and take deep meaning from them? How do distinct styles, conventions, and sensibilities emerge? Why do we change behaviors over time and why do some behaviors stick around? Status and Culture is a book that will appeal to business people, students, artists, and anyone who has ever wondered why things become popular or why they often feel pressured to go against their personal tastes. The reader will leave the book with an understanding of the general rules that can be applied to everyday life and feel empowered by better appreciating the effect of social influence on their choices.

W. David Marx is a longtime writer on culture based in Tokyo and the author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Lapham's Quarterly, Popeye, The New Republic, and Vox.