Media and Memory: The Impact of the Media on the American Memory of 9/11

Abstract

The study of memory in American history is a more recent trend that is opening up opportunities to more ways in which we can understand our past and the interplay between how the past can be manipulated for the needs of the present. It is important to look beyond the actual content of both individuals and the collective memory because it is constantly being constructed, reconstructed, and forgotten in America regardless if it is intentional or not because of the changing contexts of the present. This paper will focus on how the mass media has influenced American memories of the attacks on September 11, 2001 and how allowed large support for the War on Terror. This paper will begin by exploring the basic concepts of memory construction and collective memories. It will then explore examples of mass media influences in the outlets of images, music, and movies that represent 9/11 and how those influenced the memory of 9/11 in Americans. Lastly, the paper explores how the mass media outlets and their influences in how Americans remembered 9/11 may have allowed for increased support for the Bush administration?s foreign policies. The paper will examine the link that was established between 9/11 and Iraq due to the lumping of foreign policies under the encompassing War on Terror. Due to the link of the 9/11 attacks to Iraq, the invasion of Iraq was accepted and highly supported even though there was lack of sufficient evidence to justify the invasion.