Yes, there is definitely a hype train, but that's not mutually exclusive from being productive. The dotcom boom produced many failed companies... alongside Amazon and Google, which changed society in many ways.
Most decentralised projects are inherently unmonetisable, meaning these aren't new companies but mostly open source community projects.
I think it's a pushback against the hyper-centralisation of the web over the past few years. This is people wanting to provide open, trustworthy alternatives to the walled garden approach. I personally am pretty excited about the opportunities of decentralisation and the distributed web.
> Most decentralised projects are inherently unmonetisable
Good. For example, the value of email, is not email itself - it's the communication it can provide. Maybe some things never meant to directly make money, but to add value in other ways. Imagine of Facebook was actually to connect people and to make communication and sharing simpler.
Also, many business ideas that people laughed at and called hype scams during the bust later went on to prove themselves (delivery dog food, anyone?). The first wave of companies were just a few years too early.
I think it's a pushback against the hyper-centralisation of the web over the past few years. This is people wanting to provide open, trustworthy alternatives to the walled garden approach. I personally am pretty excited about the opportunities of decentralisation and the distributed web.