AIM Framework glossary
Ownership Signal
Canonical definition
Ownership Signal is the Mimetic Premium component arising from the fact of ownership itself, independent of any observable characteristic of the Object owned, such that mere possession (and especially the social knowledge that one possesses) confers Status relative to non-owners.
Explanation
In societies where ownership correlates with status, the mere fact of owning rather than renting signals accumulated capital, creditworthiness, financial stability, and class membership. The Ownership Signal operates through social knowledge, not visual inspection. Others need not see the Object to know one owns it, social conversation, financial disclosure, lifestyle markers, and network effects transmit ownership facts. The M-mechanism does not require the Object to be visually observed; it requires the ownership fact to be socially known. The PAI for housing is therefore not "cheapest house available", it is the cost of shelter function alone, which could in principle be provided through secure rental, social housing, or other tenure forms that do not carry ownership-status. Even the cheapest purchasable dwelling carries PM(ownership) because ownership itself signals status relative to non-owners.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct.