Part 8/11:
By the end of the decade, the utopian dreams presented during the 2000s began to fade into a grimmer reality. Events like 9/11 and the economic downturn required a re-evaluation of what the future might look like. As technology became ubiquitous and less otherworldly, the marketing strategies and design aesthetics that once seemed radical became stale. The shift from the shiny optimism of the early 2000s to a more flat, utilitarian look exemplified the triumph of practical concerns over fantasy.