Does Application Status Really Update Online...?

[AnxiousAndTired]

... or is checking the portals a waste of time?

One job updated my status to "no longer under consideration" within a week, but the other 50+ still list "under review" even though it looks like they sent out interview invitations. This purgatory limbo is sad. 

[StatusGoblin]

The application systems are usually managed by the HR departments at universities. They only care about the status of the search in-so-far as it is related to the bureaucratic hiring process. For them, what the search committee is doing is a black box that they don't really care about. All they care about knowing is (1) whether someone has been selected and (2) if HR action is required. So, statuses like "in progress" or "referred to search committee" will likely remain until the search has concluded.

This is how things usually go. There are, of course, exceptions and deviations.