Status in the Statusphere

When I watch folks lavish the status of celebrity within this media, or worse, when I watch some claim the baton, I remind myself that the media itself is the real celebrity that is deserving of our lavish attention.  But this creates the paradox that we witness over at friendfeed, where the discussion revolves around the media, and where engagement on any other topic is pretty difficult.

In all social interaction status is conferred.   It’s a function of the ego that Jung defines as feeling, that aspect of our being that assigns a positive or negative attribute to the object under review.  Either I like it, or  I don’t. Depending on the given makeup of an individual, this function may or may not be developed or functioning in a fully conscious and mature manner.  It may in fact operate in a manner that is malevolent.

Much of the way status is thrown around in social media feels akin to middle school. You know, who gets to sit with who in the lunch room. That’s not a surprise given the relative infancy of the medium.  But it’s problematic none the less.  In as much as we operate within these media in a fashion that is regressive…well, simply put, we are and/or become whatever it is we do.