Social Climbing Isn’t the Only Direction

Social climbing has always existed. The internet just gave it a camera.

The phrase “social climber” dates back to the late 19th century. Merriam-Webster records social climber as far back as 1894, describing someone attempting to gain a higher social position or acceptance in fashionable society. The behavior, of course, predates the phrase. Long before Instagram made everyone’s social life searchable, people were figuring out which rooms mattered, who controlled access to them and what could happen if you were allowed inside.

For centuries, social status was largely determined by birth, wealth, family, occupation and proximity to established power. You married into the right family. You attended the right parties. You knew the right people. You were invited to the right homes.

Then celebrity culture complicated everything.

Suddenly, the most socially valuable person in the room wasn’t necessarily the person with the oldest last name or the largest estate. It could be the person everyone came to see.

By the 1960s, a new word entered American popular culture: “groupie.” It’s first known used in 1966, originally describing a fan who followed a rock group around. The term became closely associated with young women who surrounded musicians, particularly during the explosion of rock culture in the 1960s and ’70s.

But Black culture had its own version of this phenomenon long before social media: the people surrounding rappers, singers, athletes and entertainers: the girlfriends, DJs, stylists, managers, friends, hustlers, party promoters and neighborhood personalities who made up the ecosystem around the star.

Being around the artist was its own form of currency. In the ’80s and ’90s, being connected to a rapper could mean getting backstage, getting into the club, appearing in a music video or simply becoming recognizable because you were always around somebody important.

Then being social was now done on the internet which changed the game.

MySpace made your friends list public. Instagram made your entire social life searchable.

Suddenly, who you knew became part of your personal brand.

The people who were once “around” celebrities could become celebrities themselves. The party girl could become an influencer. The stylist could become a tastemaker. The blogger could become a media personality. The person standing next to the rapper in 2008 could have millions of followers years later.

But social media did something else: it taught everyone how the game worked.

People weren’t just watching glamorous lifestyles anymore. They were studying them. They could see how access translated into opportunities, how being in the right rooms could lead to jobs, brand deals, collaborations, followers and eventually a career.

And once everyone understood the value of proximity, proximity became more competitive. Our favorite celebrities and socialites became more conscious of who they kept around and why.

Back then you were being invited into the room because of your appearance and who else you were friends with. Now you’re being invited because of what you bring to the friendship. No one wants a one sided transactional relationship.

Your ability to create something. Your true aura. Your ability to make the room more interesting is the new shift we are all witnessing.

Being in the room means nothing if you have nothing keeping you there. That is where social climbing starts to change direction.

The person trying to get closer to the celebrity may eventually become valuable enough that the celebrity needs to stay close to them.

And now, especially on social media, the line between celebrity and consumer has almost disappeared. Celebrities are expected to share their lives, their relationships, their homes, their routines and sometimes even their friendships to maintain relevance. The audience doesn’t just watch celebrities anymore. It watches who celebrities know.

So maybe social climbing isn’t always about moving up. Sometimes it’s about moving closer.

Closer to culture. Closer to opportunity. Closer to influence.

And sometimes, if you’re valuable enough once you get there, the people you climbed toward start climbing toward you.

Written by Ketia Jeune