When this project began, the economy was soaring and Web 2.0 was hyped not only as a social revolution but also as a potential source for immense wealth. The social revolution claim has since been tempered by nuanced critiques of the culture, commerce, and impacts of social software, while the wealth hype has been softened somewhat by the economic downturn (at the last South by Southwest I attended, a friend and I kept track of how often the phrase "in these troubling economic times" was repeated during presentations).

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 727