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Comment by bko | Hacker News Reader

Isn't that the whole point of social media like Instagram? To convince the world you have disposable income and are living a lavish lifestyle?

Personally I like signaling that I have money. Why would you want people to think you're poor or cheap, except maybe when you're shopping for a car.

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Why would you want to signal that? It relates in no way as to what kind of person you are. In fact, the richer you are, the more questions I have about how you got it and who got shafted along the way.

> In fact, the richer you are, the more questions I have about how you got it and who got shafted along the way.

What a sad way to live life. Not only because it's untrue (assuming you don't live in North Korea), but it's incredibly dark and destructive.

This does not answer the question that was asked (and which I also wonder): why would you want to signal that you are rich?

For attracting members of the opposite sex and wanting to connect with other people of similar wealth as their values and interests more closely correspond with your own. I don't know if you noticed, but there are cultural differences across socio-economic classes.

Are you pretending not to understand?

They made a movie about people like you in the 90s, called "Clueless":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld_TueiQiQo&t=105s

The fact that you think it's "sad" is a dead giveaway in terms of what you value in life and what you consider a virtue.

What do I value? I believe I live in a society where wealth is earned through hard work. It would be awful living in a society where I wrongly think everyone who has something I don't earned it through nefarious means, and there is no way to be an honest broker and create wealth.

I wouldn't, you wouldn't, and countless millions also wouldn't.

But there is clearly a demographic who do use social media to signal lifestyle status, often using that lifestyle status to sell products of various kinds.

The erosion of enthusiast fandom into paid influencer "fandom" is whole subculture.

> Why would you want people to think you're poor or cheap, except maybe when you're shopping for a car.

Personally, I don’t generally think about how other people perceive if I have money or not.

Ah, you must be one of those that cuts his own hair, shops strictly at thrift shops and wears bags as shoes.

Maybe hthe GP is confident enough to have passed by the shallow indicator of displaying their wealth? The richest people I know personally (and who I deeply respect) absolutely delight in people under-estimating them, assuming they're "poor plebs" like the rest of us. They like money, recognize it's important and appreciate what it allows, but feel no need to advertise it.

I get my hair cut at a place where it costs $45 and I get a haircut every 1-2 months at best.

I wear my shoes until they break. I wear Vans Sk8 old skool high tops most of the time.

I am also on track to retire by 40 if all goes well. (Which is to say I don’t have THAT much money)

Ah, so you generally think about how other people perceive if you have money or not. Enough to answer an internet stranger inquiring about your wealth, and flexing about retiring at 40 (congrats).

Thanks for proving my point.

LMAO brother you should stop projecting and get little more self assurance that isn’t tied to your wealth

I mean, people who say "why would I want status symbols" tend to not purchase designer clothes and $500 hair cuts. Because those are status symbols.

But bags as shoes is impractical. You want a sole to protect your feet.

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