At 18 years old, Dai Time has already built an abundant portfolio: child star, author, magazine founder, and now, a leading voice for Gen Z in digital media. 

As a college sophomore balancing content creation with her studies, Dai has established her foothold in the creator economy by maintaining her genuine personality while amplifying diverse young voices.

Her path began well before her current roles, though. At six years old, she gained widespread attention with her song “My TuTu. ” Later, she published a children’s book and launched her own magazine in 2017. 

“When I first got into the entertainment industry, it was music,” Dai says. “And I’ve always loved education, which is how my children’s book came to be. And now that love has transferred to social media, the hosting aspect, and connecting with my peers on social media, but on a deeper level.”

Dai attributes her success to her mother’s consistent encouragement of her creative pursuits. 

“Creativity and having dreams was very encouraged by my mom, who continued to push me to break boundaries,” she reflects. “She would always support me if I were interested in a specific hobby or aspiration. And I feel like having that support system as my upbringing created something in me: always wanting to strive, break barriers, and follow the things that make me happy.”

This supportive foundation influenced Dai’s approach to content creation, which started naturally on Instagram. 

“I started posting on Instagram when it was first introduced. It was just a way to connect with my friends,” she shares. “We would post dance videos together, and they started gaining traction. I continued to post for those following me and liking my videos.”

These casual posts developed into a broader mission. “It was no longer just me connecting with my friends; it was me connecting with people like me halfway across the country,” Dai says. “After I realized my platform’s potential, I began to take advantage of it and use it as a place to connect with my peers one-on-one.”

Creating Content That Resonates

Unlike creators who follow strict content schedules, Dai embraces spontaneity. “There are some content creators I adore because they have planners and plan out every single video they post for the month. I love that so much, but I literally cannot do that. That’s so unrealistic for me,” she admits candidly.

Instead, the young creator focuses on her passion: editing. 

“It’s just super fun to bring some humor to my content sometimes,” she says. “With a cute zoom or an emoji on the screen, you can bring some life and more of my personality that I’m not showing on camera to my content and touch my supporters that way. Editing is tedious, but I love to bring the best of my footage together.”

This genuine approach proves successful, though she’s still processing her achievements. “Right now, where I’m at in my life, with content creation and my work in general, I love it so much that it doesn’t feel like work,” Dai states. 

“I’m happy to film videos, I’m happy to post, I’m happy to reply to comments. I’m really happy to be doing all these things I love, and I feel like it still hasn’t snapped in my mind that it’s work.”

Prioritizing Mental Health

As a mental health advocate and active creator, Dai highlights self-care. 

“My time management sucks because, at the end of the day, I’m just a girl, a Gen Z girl,” she shares openly. “However, when it comes to balancing school, my work, social media, and all of my regular activities, it’s all about taking care of myself and making sure that I’m okay before I continue to go out and do things.”

Her self-care routine is relatable: “taking a day to do nothing.” She likes to order food, watch her favorite movie, and play one of her favorite video games, The Sims. 

“I’m perfect if I play The Sims for at least four hours. I’m ready to conquer anything,” Dai says, also highlighting the value of community. 

“I also love to hang out with my friends,” she notes. “That’s a good form of self-care for me because it uplifts your spirits when you’re around amazing people. And that’s one of the best ways to get me to be productive, to get me to be happy, and to operate on my best self.”

Representing Gen Z Through Digital Media

Through her Snapchat series, “It’s Dai Time,” launched in April 2022 through the platform’s 523 accelerator program, Dai addresses issues affecting her peers. 

“Many of my episodes are 45 to 60 seconds, so it’s just a snippet of information just for you to grab and then continue with your day,” she explains. “The topics of these episodes vary tremendously because sometimes it’s what’s trending online. It’ll be a silly, goofy trend or news of new movies and new music from people we love in our generation.”

Her content tackles significant issues facing Gen Z, including body image and cyberbullying. 

“A few of my popular episodes involved body hate and body shaming on social media,” Dai says. “Because someone posts an image online doesn’t mean they want to be susceptible to others making harsh comments.” 

She references a notable episode featuring Selena Gomez: “We grew up watching Selena Gomez and listening to her music, and to see her go through body shaming online was horrible… I did an episode on it to bring awareness to the situation and remind my peers that their words have meaning.”

Academic and Professional Growth

Dai has clear objectives. She is studying journalism in college and is super excited to see how learning about journalism and getting her degree can help her apply it to her content and other fields of work. 

“I am a huge nerd,” she admits. “I love all things school and academia. I’m currently in school, a sophomore, and in the future, I will transfer to my dream school, the University of Southern California, to study journalism.”

Regarding the media’s future and Gen Z’s influence, Dai expresses optimism: “My generation is super creative. We have super short attention spans, so whatever we’re looking at has to be very attention-grabbing. We will examine creative things, new interview methods, interesting and intriguing articles, and write-ups and events. With Gen Z at the hands of media, there’s so much room for so many amazing things, and I honestly can’t wait to see what happens and be a part of that, too.”

“Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams,” Dai concludes. “You can multitask and make sure that you’re prioritizing yourself amid everything. If you feel you need help and are not feeling well, I highly recommend sourcing for some help. Whether talking to a friend or getting professional help, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all need help, but it comes in different ways.”