The first Chapter of We the Media includes a glimpse of the history of media, both mainstream and social. At times, I had to laugh because of the references to people who took ordinary steps, trying to figure out an aspect of technology, and the results for us is extraordinary.

It was worth the second read. What I missed the first time around was their discussion of September 11th, 2001, and how the event filled people with passion, grief, hate and a series of other emotions, which drove people to the Internet.

I spend a lot of time thinking about September 11th. Unfortunately, I was there. September 11th was my first day back at work after my first vacation in three years. I remember walking through the main level of the Trade Center and across the skywalk that connected our corporate headquarters, WFC 3, to the Twin Towers. Everyone looked relaxed that morning. Some days, everyone looked intense or stressed or late. But, that morning, there was a light-hearted feeling in the air.

I was in my office, computer on and coffee in hand by 7:15 am. There were almost 1000 new email messages in my inbox and I had my day planned around how many I could get through in the next 90 minutes. I was proud of my pace and was growing increasingly confident that nothing terrible had happened during my vacation and then, there was this hollow sound – so intense, so powerful – so unusual. I left my office immediately looking for an explanation and as I approached the main hallway that connected the North Side of our floor to the South Side, I woman ran towards me, shoeless. She opened the doors that lead to the elevators on the 50th floor and yelled back, “A plane just hit the Trade Center.” The doors closed and I was alone.

It seems like seconds later I was in the elevator myself, in my gym sneakers, clutching my handbag and my laptop, trying to count the number of times I had been told (since childhood) to take the stairs during an emergency.

The rest of the day was surreal. Hundreds of people crowded Vesey Street as I left the building and walked North on the West Side Highway. When the second plane hit, people were instantly frightened. This was no accident. And, when the Towers disappeared, we were all breathless…