Social advantages? Some.
Being a young person who smokes in the 21st century essentially amounts to a Red Badge of Nihilism, which isn't entirely a bad thing to have as a young adult. People know there's a relatively large part of you that simply doesn't give a shit before you even open your mouth. There are social advantages to this when you're young. They rapidly dissipate as you age, but they're there.
Dovetailing with the previous point, the stronger the restrictions against smoking become, the stronger preexisting bond between smokers. The sharing of tobacco as a means to connect people dates back to long before Europeans ever encountered the substance, and sharing a smoke with someone has social resonance.
It feels good. I'm not advocating smoking, but this is something that anti-smoking zealots often miss. It's not simply a crutch, nor a habit. I'd argue that smoking cessation programs often fail because they often attempt to make the claim that smoking doesn't actually feel good.
I seldom smoke, these days. I don't really miss it. I don't miss waking up after finishing a pack the night before and wondering if I should have another to level off my hangover. I don't miss having to do laundry twice as often to get the horrible reek out of my clothes. I don't miss the smell of cigarettes clinging to my hand the day after a night of drinking, unable to remove it no matter how many times I washed my hands.
But I do miss the camaraderie of the smoke. The knowing looks shared with my partners in crime outside a bar. That nicotine rush slamming me in the face as I take my first drag. Having girls just as crazy as me bum smokes off of me.
I'm better off now, but there were advantages then.