Social networks have just been status game accelerators, right? I mean, this is, this has just been enabling this kind of core instinct of ours. Well, and social networks have made it that much more dangerous, right? All you got to do to have a bit of virtue status is fire up your social media platform. Have a pop at somebody that you don't like and all your followers will tell you you're wonderful. That's what social media is. It's human life. It's dominance, virtue and, and success."
“Life is a game. There’s no way to understand the human world without first understanding this. Everyone alive is playing a game whose hidden rules are built into us and that silently directs our thoughts, beliefs and actions. This game is inside us. It is us. We can’t help but play.”
So begins “The Status Game,” a new book by acclaimed writer Will Storr.
He continues: “We play for status, if only subtly, with every social interaction, every contribution we make to work, love or family life and every internet post. We play with how we dress, how we speak and what we believe. … Life is not a journey towards a perfect destination. It’s a game that never ends. And it’s the very worst of us.”
Does it have to be?
We may not be able to quit the status game, but Will says we can learn to play it better. In this episode, he explains how.
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