In Old World Europe, social status depended on one's family name and connections to royalty. Because of this, it was very difficult for a person to change his or her social status or rank — it was something you were born with or you weren't. In the United States, the widespread availability of luxury products such as cars, technology, and homes that show a person's status is one thing that has made social mobility possible. Some say that it is possible in the U.S. to "buy your way to the top." With the increasing availability and appeal of "status goods," people became more inclined to define themselves by what they possessed. The quest for higher social status accelerated.
The "keeping up with the Joneses" philosophy has widespread effects on some societies — some positive, and some negative. On one hand, it means that it is possible for people to enter into a higher social class. On the other hand, it means that people in a society sometimes become preoccupied with the accumulation of wealth and status, and there may be winners and losers. Some people may not be able to "keep up with the Joneses" and feel dissatisfied or inferior.

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