Status symbols

I've just had the great pleasure of accepting an appointment as a Visiting Investigator at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. My work on the MASSE project, together with the proposal I mentioned, have led to this elevated status. I'm genuinely pleased about it.

It also got me thinking about other symbols of status in the academic world. I was talking to one or two people about what happens at academic meetings, and how much of value seems to happen in the shadows rather than on the podium; networking over lunch, coming up with great ideas over a beer in the evening(where DO all those ideas go?) This is very similar to views I've heard of conferences in other domains.

My question was, if this is true, does it reduce the visible parts of such events to purely symbolic status? And if we accept that is the case, does that make them less valuable or even leave them without value?

It was no surprise to hear lots of different points of view, sometimes opposing, and sometimes from the same people, myself included. (On one hand ... but on the other hand ... like Topol in Fiddler on the Roof.) What seemed a general conclusion though was that the symbolism reflected the status in the wider community - it was a behavioural presentation of status as it exists in the community at large. To that extent it was refreshing at this particular conference to see a significant broadening of disciplines, topics and ages. If this does represent the reality of the community at large, then maybe the days of science advancing 'funeral by funeral' (Max Planck) may be well and truly behind us. What do you think?