How the complicated stories behind 9/11 are lost in social media

The United States and its citizens will never forget 9/11. The aftermath of the event was destructive: the U.S. declared war, Sept. 11 became Patriot Day and the event was recorded as one of the darkest tragedies in our history books. However, it seems that we, the generation of screens, the internet and social media, are desensitized to this matter. Lately, social media has been playing an increasingly important role in educating the youth about current and historical events. The problem with this medium is that the information is often presented without much context and emotion. The same is happening with 9/11, and the full, complicated story is often not taken into consideration. Though most people know that the atrocities were committed by a terrorist group called Al Qaeda, very few know what drove them to commit such horrors. This is partly caused by the press, social media and the government not reflecting on the events before the attacks closely enough. For example, articles that commemorate the historical day often do not examine the impact the U.S.’ military presence and support of Israel had in the Middle East. The conflict compromises many elements, but Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, was mainly provoked by the U.S.’ involvement in disputes and wars such as the 1983 Lebanon War. Misinformation has indirect consequences, too. The majority of Muslims around the world have very different opinions than radical Islamist groups like Al Qaeda and, at the time of 9/11, most American Muslims were as shocked and disgusted as everybody else. Nevertheless, according to the Pew Research Center, the number of anti-Muslim assaults reported to the FBI rose from twelve in 2000 to 93 in 2001. Today, the US is still contending with the spread of misinformation and an anti-Muslim culture. In February 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13769, known to the public as the Muslim ban, which covers a wide range of immigration based restrictions on countries with high numbers of Muslims.  This can be attributed to the way we gain our knowledge, relying on snippets of information and digesting history without the full context of the situation.   An example that shows how a short message is unable to convey the complexities of a historical event is an Instagram post on 9/11 by Reese Witherspoon, who has more than 19 million followers. “The heartbreak and devastation still overwhelm my mind. I promise to continue to pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives and for the people who worked hard to save others,” Witherspoon wrote. It is a simple remembrance of the day, yet the post ignores the struggles that people who were directly or indirectly affected by 9/11 still face today. Recently, a fund that helps survivors and first responders pay for medical expenses related to conditions caused by inhalation of toxic smoke and dust reported that it could not secure enough money from Congress to continue this life saving program. Nevertheless, this post gives the impression that the problems are a thing of the past and we are inclined to accept it as a convenient truth. Additionally, information is often cited without proper research and we make assumptions about the whole story. Just last Wed., Sept. 18, President Trump retweeted a video of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who is also Muslim, dancing and allegedly celebrating the anniversary of 9/11. Some who read the post attacked and sent death threats to Omar. Omar was quick to point out that the President had tweeted misinformation.  “This is from a CBC event we hosted this weekend to celebrate black women in Congress,” Omar said. Our society needs to understand and examine the negative effects of news and history being posted on social media sites such as Instagram. Teenagers’ beliefs and opinions are being shaped by celebrities and short posts without citation by unknown “journalists” and authors. We continue to take in information using the most convenient but least informative methods, leading us to categorizing certain events and people. Such sources create unhealthy biases regarding crucial issues such as 9/11. To prevent ourselves from forming misinformed opinions, we need to remember to think critically when taking in information online. When reading posts and tweets regarding history and news, do not accept the surface level information provided but rather work to understand the depth of the issue. We cannot realize the bigger picture with snippets of information. Furthermore, talking to other people about the new information is a good way to share and fact-check historical events such as 9/11. The coming years will bring new advancements in technology and we will have to keep adapting and improving our way of obtaining true information. We have to learn to pass on accurate information about historical events to the next generation, because the Sept. 11 attacks must not be forgotten.