Silvia Bellezza is an Associate Professor of Business in Marketing at Columbia Business School. Her research focuses on status signaling in consumption. Whom do you hold in higher regard: Jimmy Carter ...

In a world obsessed with the latest trends and flexing our perceived success, the concept of a "status symbol" is constantly evolving. What once signified wealth, influence, or discerning taste can ...

In comparison to younger people who are collectively struggling to achieve financial stability and comfort in their daily lives, millennials are doing pretty well — and they want the world to know it.

RaveGods, a community-driven project, is redefining what it means to belong with its NFTs representing a world where nightlife, art, and technology increasingly collide. The project’s 1000-piece, ...

While status symbols have almost always been characterized in a game of "having what others can't," focused on material goods and consumerism, recent shifts in the collective experience and perception ...

Healthy -- and pricey -- snacks from Erewhon are among the new status symbols for Gen Z. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Young Americans are hungry to assert their social dominance — and they’re ...

This article follows the Direct Message methodology, designed to cut through the noise and reveal the deeper truths behind the stories we live. If someone drives a fancy car, we assume they’re ...

In any given year, there are obvious signs that someone is wealthy, like flashy cars and giant houses. But there are also subtle signs that indicate a positive financial well-being. Those little ...

Once a status symbol, now worthless junk A nostalgic look back at the decade of excess, the 1980s, reveals a time when conspicuous consumption reached new heights. Technology promised to revolutionize ...