'The Moment Everything Changed'

"Nearly a quarter-century after it happened, it is tempting to look back at September 11 and talk about it in big, vague, clichéd terms. The date is often preceded with the phrase "the tragic events of." It was the "moment everything changed." It has become every U.S. history teacher's default essay prompt, asking students to "explain the effects of September 11 on America." Those effects were enormous. We are still dealing with them today."

"One of those places, for Olivia, was AOL Instant Messenger. In the late 1990s, Olivia online was CoolBlue91. "Cool" because she was, "Blue" after that Eiffel 65 song about the color, and "91" because of the year she was born. That's cute and all, but what comes up when Olivia talks about AIM is that back then, she used it to talk to her dad, Anthony."

Nearly a quarter-century after the attacks, their effects remain enormous and continue to shape daily life. Grand, clichéd language can dilute the emotional weight of memories. The lingering cruelty of September 11 often shows most sharply in small, quiet places and ordinary routines. Olivia used AOL Instant Messenger as her primary way to connect with her father, Anthony, because she lived apart from him. Anthony's online handle was NYAvenger; Olivia's was CoolBlue91. AIM's Buddy List and its notification sound made impromptu conversations possible and precious. He had a new downtown job at Cantor Fitzgerald and loved video games and technology.

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