They say everyone remembers where they were when 9/11 happened. I myself have a distinctive memory of 9/11. I was five years old on September 11, 2001, when 9/11 happened. A series of four coordinated terrorist attacks perpetrated by the group al-Qaeda against the United States, which took place on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks resulted in thousands of fatalities and injuries and caused several billions of dollars in infrastructure and property damage.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I remember watching news footage of the attack on the twin towers. I lived on the west coast of Canada, so footage of the attacks that happened during the morning on the east coast was already widely circulated on most news networks. My morning routine as a young child involved eating breakfast and watching cartoons in the morning. It was usual for me to watch TV most mornings, but this morning the news was on which was strange. I remember my mother being distracted and not answering my questions regarding the images on the screen. I remember my five-year-old self sitting in my blue blow-up chair in front of the TV before leaving for kindergarten that day, and watching news coverage of the twin towers attack.
Although I don’t have photographic, video, or audio proof that I watched footage of the 9/11 attacks as a child, that doesn’t mean the memory is false. My memory isn’t false, but the information or content making up my memory could be. A memory is a memory regardless of the truth or factuality of the story or experience being remembered. Memories can be influenced by what other people tell you. As a child and as an adult, I’ve heard stories of other people’s experiences or memories of the 9/11 attacks. I wonder how much of my memory was influenced by what other people told me and their experiences. Although I can distinctly remember my experience that day, my mother refutes my story, saying that she didn’t allow me to watch footage of the 9/11 attacks, which would make sense considering I was only five-years-old at the time.
I’ve supplemented my lack of physical proof of events by reviewing images and videos of the news coverage of 9/11, but wonder how these images and videos may warp or influence how I remember this event. Using other people’s memories to reinforce and support my recollections makes me feel as though my memories are less mine and makes me question the validity of said memories. The September 11th attacks were and are such a monumental moment in time for many people, so I think the memories people have of the attack are not a singular experience. Rather, one shared on a larger scale connecting many people’s lived experiences. Memories are often not only ours but are connected, reflecting the world in which we live.
Digital Social Narratives 