[FilterSweep]

> developers have a low social standing in China

But that's almost everywhere.

As an example....I'm an ex-Silicon valley developer, but I am currently living in the Southeast USA and developers are scarcely understood or appreciated here, either.

I must always be measured when I introduce myself, only mentioning my managerial responsibilities when I can tell the person does not understand what I actually do.

The other reply seemed to mention the same thing - "management of other people" is a key determinant of social status in some places.....I wouldn't say everywhere.

Many people in the South (USA) still havent divorced themselves from the notion that the generic, ambiguous, and overused term "IT" or "IT guy" of the 90s - which ranged from "following a recipe" computer maintenance to very high-level sysadmin work - applies to everyone in that industry and your career can be reduced to the following:

1) Fixing a computer 2) Connecting a computer to an internet or printer.

A stark difference compared to my days in SV when the average person would know the distinction between a web/software developer, or a UX engineer or a frontend developer.

[__derek__]

> "management of other people" is a key determinant of social status in some places

That's because control of other people is the primary status marker in much of the US.

[jerf]

Control over others of their species is a primary status marker in mammals. Even calling that a "human" trait is being waaaay too specific.

[__derek__]

Given that I responded to a comment about social status among people in the US South, it would be odd if I said that. While true, it fails to be specific enough to be relevant.[1]

[1] Grice's maxims, which I find helpful for gauging my contributions to conversations: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/dravling/grice.html

[kevinskii]

Your comment suggested (probably unintentionally) that this characteristic is somewhat unique to U.S. culture. jerf's comment was therefore relevant.

[webmaven]

The disciplines emerging around mediated control of people through UX, copywriting, transactional email, algorithmic filtering, etc. (from garden variety A/B testing on through Facebook's emotional control experiment and beyond) prompt me to wonder whether that sort of less direct control of people will accrue status as well.