It's relevant in a social-hierarchical structure that observes human caste recognition and personal social status. For it's intended purpose (interacting with other, social, humans) it's great. It will even elicit behavioral responses that temporarily spike testosterone in a way that you can feel- like the rush from a drug. Females of our species seem to be even more preoccupied with this imaginary biochemical badge that we wear- it makes them want to reproduce.

But it is a social phenomena. Not all humans are social- and the history of humanity has not always been social or dependent on tribal recognition. Alpha recognition is simply the communal recognition of power- whether it is power over physical matter, linguistic interactions with social peers, communally recognized power over resources- it represents power.

Or, perhaps, within submissive humans: Alpha recognition triggers an instinctive understanding of the potential to manipulate power in dominate humans who are...influenced by the behavior they exhibit. That is to say: The submission to dominance is a strategy to weaponize, utilize or manipulate dominance to advance the individual's own biologically mandated agenda. Submission is the hope of accession.

The instinctive human reaction to power wielded by non-human things is different- why? Because we know that submission to it wins us nothing. There is no reasoning with non-human power. If you are about to be on the receiving end of a viper, it doesn't care whether you acknowledge the ability of it's injected proteins to kill you and end your potential genetic lineage. You instinctively know that it gives zero fucks about your submissive behavior- and so the human reaction is not- "Oh shit, sorry! I did't mean to piss you off! Let me prove it!!!" To the contrary- the reaction is mechanical. "Oh shit, snake, snake, snake, my reflexes want me to be outside of striking range right now. Oh god, reptilian death rope wants to claim my soul- must move!"

We would react similarly to predatory recognition- i.e, Eye contact with a large, carnivorous felid species. There is no communication or desire for personal acknowledgement- simply the desire to escape.

Within the concept of Alpha behavior: Sometimes that reaction is what you want from things that manifest themselves as threats to your social caste "subordinates." Overstepping the boundaries of human manipulative/submissive behavior via the "predatory/nonhuman threat recognition" trigger is a nice skill to have in the great big box o' Alpha skills.

Prepubescent Alpha-elects feel free to challenge.