I know a lot of people who aren't "in the game" that amass hundreds of thousands of miles/points/etc. in one program or another just because they spend a log. They're usually not people who have a dozen credit cards chasing various sign-up bonuses or maximizing the spend by pulling out of those dozen cards based on the merchant/category. They're just generally happy to get a set of free tix for the family to go to Hawaii - in first class. I've counseled these folks against the terrible redemption value of the Hawaii tix but it makes them feel good and they have bragging rights.

So now they get status because of the spend, but are they actually flying more? Are they flying enough to get SWU's? I doubt it. Didn't there used to be stories of people who were Concierge Key because of work-related reasons and never took advantage of the perks because they didn't travel much and didn't really know about the bennies?

It's probably better than the past when you were competing against Mileage Run EXPs who actually chase status because they DID fly a lot and would be competing with you for an upgrade.