Real World or Informal Networks: One giant popularity contest?

I'm not sure if I ever want to re-live my junior high and high school days, but it seems that these discussions on informal or real world networks are reviving haunting memories of those times.

During junior high and high school, I was NOT the so called popular student. I participated in the non cut sports, had only so so grades, and always somehow fell through the cracks of making friends and social networks. Maybe my only claim to fame was being the only Asian guy on the track team that could run on a relay with 3 football/basketball stars that were about a foot and a half taller than me.

What does these high school memories have to do with informal or real world networks? (beside the fact that it's been nearly 10 years, and I'm hopefully a little more secured of myself now than in HS) Upon reading Wired Magazine's article on Real World Networking and MIT's article on Informal Networks, there seems to be commonality of having a central or super connected person that can make or break the network. This person is almost always overworked, overstressed and does not have enough support to maintain his role. Yet at the same time, if this person does a good job and can handle the central role, he/she often is seen as a leader and is a valuable resource to the school and to all the people that he/she has meaningful connections with. Do a bad job, and the networks break down, and those connections are severed. I guess you could say my network in high school was one of few connections and according to the MIT article, that puts me as "isolated" and "lacking skills, social and otherwise, for the job". Thanks. I really needed that confidence booster.

Doesn't this feel like a popularity contest? How do you judge the Prom King and Queen? Is it based on their achievements? Or is it how they work their networks and become central to so many people that their success validates the success of many others? Think of it this way: would you vote for the jock quarterback that has the support of the football, basketball and cheerleading squads? Or would you vote for the nerd of the math, science and language clubs? Or would you vote for the class President that happens to know who you are and helped you out with your classes and to make new friends and just happened to be good at everything?

I hoped that after high school was done that I could leave the popularity contest and become comfortable being myself. However, as real world/informal networking become more and more mainstream, I could find myself with braces and a new driver's license all over again...