This morning, I was perusing my Twitter feed, and came across this post:

Could you just imagine the footage we would have if we all had smartphones and Instagram 12 years ago?

12 years ago, I had just started my freshman year of college. The most exciting technological item I had was my very own desktop computer. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram didn't exist, my email account had a Yahoo.com attached to it, and Friendster was the highlight of social networking. On that morning up in Boston, I heard the news from panicked phone calls, fellow students and the television – we were all stuck in front of one set or another for hours ,moving from one hallmate's space to another, dazed and horrified by that video that seemed to play over and over.

It was impossible to get in touch with anyone in New York for most of the day, and friends abroad had an easier time reaching me on my landline telephone.

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