In any group or community there seems to be a person of authority. There are always persons that for some reasons or another (either legitimately or falsely) acquired a position of higher status in relation to their peers. De facto, this person's opinion or view will be regarded as being more important than others, that are deemed to have a lesser status within the group. Another clear form of authority can be found in elements of rating. Take the Michelin Red Guide for example, with its notorious one, two and three star rating. This rating is issued by an independent body, and published by a recognized entity.

Now, with the advent of technology and the democratization of information it seems that the authority of only a few is being challenged by the authority of the group. Many comparison websites are around, for consumer products, for example, but yet, also Google remains a tool to judge the validity of information, so is Wikipedia. We are more and more trusting the judgment of society as a whole than to listen to experts. The more people exclaim the same thing, the more we start to believe it.

Scientist and others in the past have been prosecuted for propagating as what was being considered untrue information at the time, but eventually was correct. Copernicus was just one of them. Therefore, to attain a high social status one is required to obey to certain rules and etiquettes established within the group. There is a careful balance necessary between personal opinion and shared beliefs, morals and values, as to not lose a position of high social status.