The mass migrations of the twentieth century, from small communities where everyone knew everyone else to large metropolises where you barely knew your neighbour, meant that what you did with your time became virtually useless as a way to signify status. In the relative anonymity of urban and, to a lesser extent, suburban life, your neighbours, friends, colleagues at work, and the people you passed on the street were much more likely to see what you owned than know what you did.
