Sir: Needless to say, in the fast paced world of today, social media has entwined itself deep within the fabric of our day to day lives. When a platform claims such a vast portion of an individual’s life, it is imperative to understand the scope and depth of its influence. As much as majority of the population enjoys sharing their lives online, what most forget is that such sharing entails more than just the desire to showcase oneself to the world. Being social creatures by nature, we humans base our preferences, opinions and convictions off of our observations of other humans in our environment. Our individuality is an amalgamation of years of observation and incorporation, most of which lie outside our awareness. Bearing in mind this subtle yet enduring nature of our influence on each other, we can choose to be more aware when sharing online, and utilise the space we occupy on the internet for a purpose beyond that of satisfying our desire to be acknowledged. Whether you are an active content creator or merely an everyday instagrammer, when you press that ‘post’ button, you are leaving a piece of information for various individuals to absorb and, perhaps, act on. By comprehending the impact of our digital footprint, this powerful platform can be used to further causes that help improve our society. We can open dialogues around topics that inform individuals on how to lead improved lives, speak up on the various forms of social injustice that we observe, or simply remind people to remain positive and steadfast in their daily struggles. Often times, stumbling upon a small piece of positivity can substantially alter one’s day. If you have the opportunity to have a voice in the cyberspace, you can use it to create a positive impact, as that is how we humans learn and grow; by observing one another and soaking in small, subtle pieces of information to extract meaning from and to then weave into our lives. AMBER ASIF Karachi Published in Daily Times, May 29th 2018.