How Important is Status?

What determines someone's popularity? Well, there are quite a few. The people you know, how good of an athlete you are, your appearance, and your grades (in some cases, the worse your grades are, the more popular you'll be). I, however really don't think popularity should be based on these factors, because some of the things on this list are things that you can't really change (like appearance and athletic ability). Also, I think personality should also be on the list, because not many people who are popular are really genuinely nice. However, statuses are usually determined by these factors and a lot of these factors are universal and many also goes on into real life society. I really don't get why the people you know really matter so much, because it's not like knowing someone will change who you are. You won't suddenly become intelligent and funny and outgoing just because you know someone famous or rich.