By 2007, we were finally living in a culture where people get what networks are and what technology can do to connect people.

Hughes is pointing to a tipping point in public understanding of “networks”—both social networks and networked computing. The remark suggests that, by the late 2000s, the idea that technology could meaningfully connect people had moved from a niche, early-adopter concept to a broadly shared cultural assumption. Implicitly, it contrasts this moment with earlier skepticism about online relationships and the utility of web-based platforms. The quote also frames connectivity as a cultural achievement as much as a technical one: the infrastructure may exist earlier, but widespread comprehension and acceptance are what allow network effects—rapid adoption, new forms of organizing, and scalable communication—to fully take hold.