Both status and signaling as concepts have at least in some circles pervaded common language. This will inevitably cause new members to use these words imprecisely. I don't recall the exact quote, but Daniel Dennett has said about consciousness that everyone feels like they're an expert on it. I think this applies to signalling and status too once one learns about them, since they're such a constant and seemingly direct part of our experience.

I too now feel guilty of not studying these concepts more, and seem to have quite incompetently participated the discussion.