September 11th Altered My Perception of the Future of Media
How September 11th Created My Journey Into Mobile Film, a personal audio story published one year ago today.
Millions around the world felt us that day. Today marked 22 years since September 11, 2001.
I don’t have a tragic story to tell. Nonetheless, I remember it like it happened yesterday and my experience may not be unique, but it’s not what you may expect.
Cell phones, back then, were fairly new. Years before, when small cellphones took over our global population, they were mostly used by business people on the go. Then they became consumer devices for all of us to connect with, outside of the limits of a cordless phone’s signal reach.
My first experience with a cell phone was walking along the seashore calling my Mom and feeling a sense of freedom unlike ever before.
On the morning of September 11 in San Diego, I was headed to my first class: The History of Media.
It was a beautiful clear day for us, just as it was in New York City on that same day. By the time I arrived to class, the first tower had already been hit, and the second was just hit a few seconds after I sat down.
I know this because the lights were off and the TV was on with the sound turned as high as it could be.
Listen to my story. I composed a personal audio story of my experience. If you prefer, there’s a transcript. The only thing the transcript does not include is the news clips I added with news and broadcast sound effects from that day.
Cell phones have come a long way. They’ve saved our lives during emergencies, comforted us during emotional times, and allowed us to connect with a phone call to share moments on the go.
When cell phone manufacturers added cameras and a web browser, the ability to check emails, and all the things cellphones brought us, we quickly adapted and began to become dependent on the technology.
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Smartphones soon became the computer in our pocket, but the cell phone service remained and making phone calls without internet service is still available today. But cameras mobile phones became more than a few pixels strong.
When the iPhone 4 was released in September 2010, a lot of people shared my vision of the future. The one I share in my podcast episode, “How September 11th Created My Journey Into Mobile Film” by The Word On Storytelling podcast on Substack.
You don’t need the latest phone to make a feature film with an iPhone. You don’t need an iPhone to make a movie with a smartphone, either. That’s because any brand has a great enough camera. Manufacturers compete to be the best.
While we’ve come such a long way with technology, I hope we can innovate our empathy for each other in humanity and keep our country strong as a place where dreams can come true for everyone.
Now, more than ever before, a storyteller can make a movie with a smartphone camera without any connection to Hollywood, put their film into a streaming service like Amazon Prime, and win awards at international film festivals. Most importantly, share their story globally and maybe even change the world and make it better.
To everyone who lost someone because of this horrific event, my heart goes out to you.
Never forget.
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