The Approval Economy

I’d argue that before Pepsi it was actually the diamond industry who really perfected this “better version of ourselves” advertising. They literally convinced the world that diamonds made their lives better, first as an indicator of love and commitment, then later as a sign of success. Not that this detracts from anything else in the post, but I do feel it’s important to call out earlier examples to further convey the point the author was making.

I think this article is fundamentally correct, and speaking about an unacknowledged but universal force.

I remember when I was young, a lot of guys I knew didn't openly support gay-marriage because they were afraid that other people would assume they were un-masculine or gay themselves if they supported it. Once it hit the tipping point, where it wasn't a statement about you to support it, the floodgates opened and it was overwhelmingly supported.

Same thing with weed. Speaking up in defense of marijuana, when only 10% of people support it, is akin to making yourself look like you personally are a rebel/stoner. Speaking up in defense when the majority support it does not. So again, we saw a massive swing there.

I think this type of tactic is sometimes deliberately used (e.g. "You don't support the war? Do you hate America/the-soldiers?") for political ends too, on both sides (e.g. virtue signaling just how wildly progressive I am).

If anything, it should make us ask ourselves why we let this happen to us. Why, when I see somebody who has a very expensive car, do I not say "Wow, there's a guy who's paying tens of thousands of dollars to try to buy approval... yikes." ?

What immediately came to my mind reading this was William Gibson's Ant trilogy. Gibson really has a talent for putting a finger on how advertisement shapes and informs our aesthetic views from the outside in. It's both part of the narrative of the book as well as part of the prose.

Also noteworthy to point out that the first book in the trilogy appeared in 2003, as usual, he was a little bit ahead of his time.

Also, really good article.

It doesn’t make the article wrong, but the Kevin Spacey movie is a terrible example to use here:

“I’d argue that this paltry opening has nothing to do with the objective quality of the film, but rather with no one wanting to be seen as the person they believe people would perceive them as if it were known that they paid to watch a movie starring an accused serial sexual abuser. Further, I’d argue that this film will do moderately well once it moves out of theaters, as those who are curious — but not curious enough to risk being perceived as Spacey sympathizers — will watch it in their homes, out of sight of the approval economy.”

Quite obviously the film made no money because there was no promotion and almost no distribution. There was no attempt to make money.

And equally obvious, of course more people will see it once it’s available outside of that tiny handful of theaters. That will be the first time any of those people will be able to see it at all.

I don't know, reminds me a lot of that old concept: we are a combination of 3 things, who we are, who we think we are and who we want to be. I can't find any reference to it, but to me it seems more accurate than the article explanation about the "better version of oneself".

Great article - I highly recommend reading it.

The most powerful force in our lives isn't gravity, it's manufactured consent.

If people were to become more introverted (or at least participate less in in outside activities and spend more time removed from real-life interactions) would this mean in a two-tiered system people will act "themselves" when they can hide tastes and behavior and seek approval in other domains? Or, will they carry over the veneer to seek approval even in situations where it's pointless?

The key is the signaling aspect of it. If we buy stuff that in common imagination is linked to something - then people will perceive us linked to it as well. So it is not a mind trick - it really works - we pay for being perceived in a better light.

"Approval is a helluva drug". And like any drug we need to overcome it. Quit cold turkey, so we can see it for what it is. Sure, you can dip yourself into it from time to time, but you'll be less of a victim. We have enough of those already

For the most part, this article is switching cause and effect. Advertisers cannot create demand out of thin air - they can only find out what (certain) people want, and present messaging that says, "X fills your existing want because of Y"

Well before advertising, people aimed to increase their status or be different than they are now. These things have largely always been cosmetic, like a peacock's feathers. It's only a problem if whatever you're selling is harmful, like non-diet soda or tobacco.

Pretty much any succesful company is going to have some sort of product positioning, whether that's aspirational or value. Big examples of aspirational are Apple, Uber, Tesla, etc.

Isnt this what is very concisely called ‘virtue signaling’ ? Hacker news is very very, very guilty of it