I think you might be mixing status-signaling with showing off. It's not really "signaling" to come out and say "I'm the greatest" Muhammad Ali style. That, and what you describe Pepsi as doing, is more status-_asserting_. Signaling would be like if Pepsi marked up their prices compared to coke, or took out ads in high-status magazines, or adopted a more highbrow branding strategy.
Now I am interested to know what the consequences are of mismatched signaling; a brand or individual that is low-status, rather than plainly asserting high-status, knows the high-status cues to signal through.
This is where Scott's barber pole of fashion would come in (https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/22/right-is-the-new-left/), which is a natural defense against low-status people trying to appear high-status through using the right signals. Ripped jeans might signal high status if you have everything else going on, but if you're just broke, your ripped jeans only signal your poverty.
Felt like the introduction to the essay- were you planning on going more in-depth about how/why high status is perceived by people who lack the "ingroup" affiliation that you're implying Pepsi had? For that matter, is it even true that high status only matters if the non-ingroup perceives it? It seems like high status *within* your ingroup is often quite powerful and meaningful, especially as people increasingly spend their lives within such ingroups.
Of course this can be gamed in one-hit social situations in which no-one is easily able to assess your social status, hence gaming it through things like pretending to be high status, having wingmen or other hangers-on proclaim your status, and in certain cases wearing gold Rolexes or driving a Ferrari, can work.
This sounds like a post from someone who doesn’t drink Pepsi. I only get my information from fellow high-status individuals like myself. Unsubscribed.
Hahaha guilty is charged
Is this a version of "things you can't countersignal"? https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ThhNvdBxcTYdzm69s/things-you-can-t-countersignal
Gwern! Big fan of your work! Didn’t know you had a Substack. Yes, looking through that post I definitely see the similarities
This was hilarious, and I really enjoyed reading it, probably because I’m high status, I mean I even give parenting classes.
I think you might be mixing status-signaling with showing off. It's not really "signaling" to come out and say "I'm the greatest" Muhammad Ali style. That, and what you describe Pepsi as doing, is more status-_asserting_. Signaling would be like if Pepsi marked up their prices compared to coke, or took out ads in high-status magazines, or adopted a more highbrow branding strategy.
Now I am interested to know what the consequences are of mismatched signaling; a brand or individual that is low-status, rather than plainly asserting high-status, knows the high-status cues to signal through.
This is where Scott's barber pole of fashion would come in (https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/22/right-is-the-new-left/), which is a natural defense against low-status people trying to appear high-status through using the right signals. Ripped jeans might signal high status if you have everything else going on, but if you're just broke, your ripped jeans only signal your poverty.
Felt like the introduction to the essay- were you planning on going more in-depth about how/why high status is perceived by people who lack the "ingroup" affiliation that you're implying Pepsi had? For that matter, is it even true that high status only matters if the non-ingroup perceives it? It seems like high status *within* your ingroup is often quite powerful and meaningful, especially as people increasingly spend their lives within such ingroups.
Of course this can be gamed in one-hit social situations in which no-one is easily able to assess your social status, hence gaming it through things like pretending to be high status, having wingmen or other hangers-on proclaim your status, and in certain cases wearing gold Rolexes or driving a Ferrari, can work.
try exhaling through your nose between breaths
Hmmm… i’ll have to try that