Over the course of SXSW you’re likely to accumulate various wristbands from the parties and concerts you attended. Untended, they begin to grow up your arm. But a funny thing happens, people wear them as a badge of honor to all the events they’ve attended—if they happen to be printed VIP, all the better. In a showcase where people are trying to discover the next big thing, wristbands are a testament that you’ve arrived.

Speaking of badges of honor, there’s another, more discreet, style of one-upmanship, this dealing with the badges that official attendees wear to gain access to all variety of concerts, panel discussions and lectures. Some are platinum (for all access), some say media (for implied expertise). But they also bear your name and, crucially, your job title. Most people can’t help glancing at it to find out just who, exactly, you are. (Nick Paumgarten discusses the Davos version of this symptom in a recent New Yorker article).

Did you found a promising startup? Are you penning reviews for Pitchfork? Are you related, somehow, to NPR? These are questions that, for too many, demand urgent answers.

More from SXSW:

Hudson Moore & Trust
On Sixth Street
Shoes About Town
Hotel San Jose
A Musical Scavenger Hunt
A Day with Daddy-O
Sharon Van Etten
Let the Games Begin
Valentino Rockstud Challenge
Packing for SXSW
Accessories Highlight

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