Most mass advice is generic, vague, or impossible to act on, and we rarely demand any track record of success. The advice industry persists because it delivers affiliation and status signaling (celeb gurus, virtue cues) rather than tailored, high‑stakes guidance. Truly useful advice tends to require situational expertise and 'skin in the game,' which most public advisors lack.
— Treating advice as a status market shifts debates about expertise, media incentives, and 'skin in the game' toward incentive redesign rather than credulous consumption.
Charles Digges
2025.09.12
56% relevant
The article reports that people routinely disregard advice—even good advice—preferring their own counsel. This complements the idea that much public advice functions as status signaling rather than actionable help, offering a behavioral baseline (advice aversion) that helps explain why advice markets underperform.
David Pinsof
2025.04.21
100% relevant
Pinsof’s claims that we seek advice from celebrities, ignore effectiveness data, and that advice only helps when advisors have specific expertise and a stake in our outcomes.
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