What if Twitter Was Around During 9/11?

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since the terror attacks on what was the World Trade Center. As a native New Yorker that made his way to work that fateful day after thinking the plane that hit the Towers was a merely a misguided two-seater, 9/11 is something I experienced firsthand.

Thankfully, I didn’t lose anyone that day. I did, however, have to wait a few painstaking hours to hear word from my mother and brother who respectively worked and went to school by the World Trade Center. Even still, being in the city when America’s false sense of security came tumbling down like the Twin Towers was a surreal experience.

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 coming this Sunday everyone’s sharing their story or perspective. With that said, I had no plans on doing the obvious and simply putting my personal experience on the pile. If you’ve heard one story about that day, you’ve heard them all. Besides, mine pales in comparison to anyone that lost someone or was literally at Ground Zero.

Yesterday, I came across an article by Foreign Policy journalist and global trends expert David J. Rothkopf that argued that Facebook & Twitter were “more important” and impactful on the past 10 years than 9/11. Basically, linking half a billion people through social media > the senseless murder of a few thousand.

As obscene as that may sound to most people, it reminded me of something I tweeted earlier in the week: Man, could you imagine if Twitter was around during 9/11?

Social media is such a part of our lives now that everything gets shared—from the mundane and sensational to the personal and tragic. If Twitter was around 10 years ago, there’s no doubt in my mind that #9/11 (well, the term wouldn’t have been coined yet but you know what I mean) would be a trending topic. The Twitterverse would be flooded with end-of-the-world messages and it’s-the-end-of-the-world rants. Chances are, there’d even be a few inappropriate “jokes” put out there just for a RT.

Beyond that, though, would be the reality.

Let’s forget for a moment that most mobile phones were knocked out during 9/11 and Twitter probably would have come to a virtual standstill, and imagine that cell service was up and running. In addition to the normal chatter would be people tweeting their final moments. Could you imagine the messages sent out by people trapped in the upper floors of the Towers as they prepared to jump to their death because the heat from the raging fire was too much? What about the passengers trapped on United Airlines Flight 93 as they prepared to take out the terrorists, knowing that a downed plane might be in their immediate future?

Just think about that for a second.

Self-penned obituaries and final thoughts would be scrawled across the Internet in 140 characters or less. For better or for worse, the brutal play-by-play of that day would be on full display for anyone with access to a computer to witness. Just the thought of that is a bit eerie, but the longer that social media stays around the more desensitized we become.

I did a quick Google search on a hunch and discovered that 9/11 was on Twitter. Screen names like @911day, @WearRedOn911 and @World911Truth were active accounts. At first glance, the aforementioned appeared to be related to organizations but I’m sure there are a few prank accounts out there associated with 9/11. SMH!

It’s been 10 years since the terrorist attacks and a lot has changed—some for the good and some for the bad—but the fact of the matter is the world will never be the same again. Countless lives were loss and impacted by the actions of a few, but I wonder if the ability to send out a final S.O.S. via Twitter would have made a difference for those that perished and/or their loved ones. The world will never know.

Could you imagine how different 9/11 would have been if social media was around then? Do you think some misguided few would use social media to make inappropriate “jokes?” What do you think it is about human nature that leads some people to do things like that? If you lost someone in 9/11, would you have loved the opportunity to read their final words or thoughts online? What would you have said in 140 characters or less on that 9/11? Where were you on that fateful day? Do you agree with writer David J. Rothkopf’s argument that Facebook/Twitter is “more important” to the past 10 years than 9/11? Do you feel safer today than you did 10 years ago? How are you going to pay homage to the lives lost on 9/11?

Speak your piece..