The report you read is a bit of a nonsense, and reflects a world that is on its way out, or has already disappeared.

Airlines have been working hard to destroy value in miles earned through frequent-flying at low cost. Increasingly, they reward $$$ spend on tickets rather than distance flown. The miles are a type of "cash-back" on high-fare tickets often paid for by companies/employers, but selected/purchased by the traveller. Passengers on cheap tickets are "commodity" flyers, they can be won more easily by ticket prices than through loyalty rewards

• The cheap flights the blogger claims as mileage-earners are increasingly earning no miles at all or a very limited proportion of the miles earned at higher fares. Some mistake-fares buck this trend, but they are not so easy to find and often require additional costs for positioning, overnight stays etc
  
• Buying trips with miles generally requires a co-payment in cash to cover taxes, fuel charge, booking fees, insurance and other fanciful amounts conjured up by the airline. These cash payments frequently add up to the price of an economy-class ticket. Carriers in the US are different. But while there are carriers with low charges elsewhere, outside the US these tend to be thin on the ground.
  
  My miles ticket to Jakarta requires £600 in cash. It's only a value proposition because I have sufficient miles to put myself in business-class. And that takes a lot of miles.

Status may be worth chasing, but only if you are (a) a fool, (b) wealthy enough to fund the chase, or (c) you fly enough to justify it in terms of benefits received. If you want to pursue status, you can select programmes with low status-barriers, such as Aegean's route to STAR Gold: the miles earned are of relatively low importance, but access to a world-network of airport lounges, seat-selection and first-class check-in make economy-class travel much more comfortable.