Another perfectly acceptable expense was conference travel. Tech workers frequently flew to expensive, exclusive events like TED, Sundance, Coachella, South by Southwest, New York Internet Week, and technology conferences all over the world. Frequent travel, and the subsequent accumulation of frequent flier miles, showed that one was lucky enough to have a flexible work schedule, plenty of money, and worldliness. Meeting up with peers in airport lounges and hotel rooms created a sense of a far-flung diaspora, in which members were connected through wealth, travel, and technology—while also making it clear that this style of meeting required immense privilege.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 194