Dai Time Makes Being “The Voice Of Gen Z” Her Priority

Not many college students can say they attend movie premieres when they’re not headed to class, but that’s the reality for Dai Time. The 18-year-old from Atlanta often juggles influencer events in Los Angeles with her community college courses about 30 minutes away in Pasadena, California.

In November, the content creator, whose real name is Dai Jame Arceneaux-Brunson, even attended the Wicked movie premiere alongside Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, but the person she was most starstruck to see was Leah Kateb from Love Island USA. She tells Elite Daily of the experience, “I was trying not to cry.”

Even though she was playing it cool in the moment, Dai was just like any other teenager fangirling over her fave reality TV star. That relatability is why the college sophomore has more than 1 million followers on Instagram and 288,000 followers on TikTok.

There are not a lot of creators online who make their platform about connecting with people who are like them, so I try to make that a big priority.

Dai has been described as the “voice of Gen Z,” which is a title she wholeheartedly agrees with because she strives to make her content “a view inside what it's like to be a Gen Zer.” She says, “There are not a lot of creators online who make their platform about connecting with people who are like them, so I try to make that a big priority.”

Despite going to major premieres and invite-only events, Dai keeps it real when she gets home. One example is sharing her acne journey instead of hiding behind filters. “When I was dealing with acne, there was nobody who was there for me on social media, so I try to be there for my peers and all of the very common trials that we go through in today’s world as Gen Z.”

Below, the journalism major dishes on why she decided to go to community college, what a typical day of juggling school and influencer events looks like, and what’s currently taking over her group chats.

Elite Daily: When did you decide you wanted to go to college?

Dai Time: I’ve always been a little bit of a geek. I was pulled out of regular school in third grade and was online schooled for a large portion of my time in academics. I graduated high school at 15, and my mom didn’t want me to go to college so young.

When I moved to California last year, I ended up enrolling into community college, which was very out of the blue for me. I decided the least I can do is community college until I get my life together. I am now finishing up my second year, and I have some plans to transfer to my dream school next fall.

ED: What is your dream school?

DT: My dream school is USC (the University of Southern California). I would love to study journalism at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. I want to stay in Los Angeles, because I just got here.

ED: What made you want to be a journalism major?

DT: I’m a very go-with-the-flow type of person. I don’t do a lot of planning, which is absolutely hilarious because I overthink so much. I did not know that I wanted to be a journalism major, but after I fell in love with media and hosting, it only made sense.

I would’ve never thought me going online to make videos with my friends would turn into what it’s turned into today.

ED: When did you realize you wanted to do content creation as well?

DT: I got on Instagram way before I was supposed to, because a lot of my friends were posting dance videos. It was just a fun way for us to interact with each other. That grew to what it is today, which is absolutely the most wild thing ever. I would’ve never thought going online to make videos with my friends would turn into what it is today.

ED: How would you describe your content?

DT: It’s a depiction of the average Gen Zer. It’s a little all over the place. There’s no routine. I am just a girl, and I feel like my page emulates that.

ED: What are some of the coolest things you’ve gotten to do as a content creator?

DT: I got to go to the White House to have brunch with President Joe Biden. The brunch was for Black excellence, and they had given flowers to a bunch of Black creators and creatives who were making an impact. It was amazing to be in a room full of so many people who are making a difference. I still cannot believe that I was on the White House ground just eating lunch.

ED: What was it like when you got the invitation for that brunch?

DT: I thought that it was a scam. When your email is public, sometimes you get a lot of very questionable messages. Then I saw the PDF attachment of the official invitation, and I realized the White House social media team just sent me an email and I’m going to the White House.

I was telling all my professors, “Sorry, I can’t be in class. I’m going to the White House.” One of my professors actually made me give a speech about why I went to the White House, and it was the most embarrassing thing ever. My classmates were calling me “White House” for the next month after that.

ED: How do you decide what events you go to, and do you ever get FOMO missing class or an influencer opp?

DT: I’m a nerd, so I hate missing school. But I get FOMO when I’m missing really amazing events. I try to prioritize my attendance in school first, but there are some events that I have to be at because of the importance. When I get an invite, I ask myself: “Have I missed a lot of school lately? Am I up to date on my work? Do I need to go to this event or can I miss it?”

Sometimes, I flip a coin while other times I just know the answer. When I got that email about the White House, I knew I had to go and represent Gen Z. It was a no-brainer.

The first half of the day, I’m buried in books, wearing my glasses. The second half of the day, I’m in full glam with a camera and lights.

ED: Walk me through a typical day where you have school and then an event afterward.

DT: My days start very bright at 8 a.m. That may not be early to you, but it is for me. Class usually takes up the first half of the day, and by time the sun is going down is when I’m free again. At that point, we’re talking about changes in the car on the way to an event and putting on a game face. The first half of the day, I’m buried in books, wearing my glasses. The second half of the day, I’m in full glam with a camera and lights. It’s definitely a transition, but I love it.

ED: What’s your secret to time management?

DT: Taking time for yourself. If I give myself a full day of self-care, I’ll be mentally and physically prepared the next day to go hard.

ED: What’s your favorite thing to do for self-care?

DT: Play The Sims. I recently built a custom gaming PC, and it was the best form of self-care that you can think of.

ED: What do you like to do for fun at school?

DT: I’m a part of the French club, so we’re always doing something. I’m trying to become fluent in French, so hopefully I’ll be able to travel to Paris and do some journalism work in the future.

ED: Do you get recognized on campus from social media?

DT: Yes. I get recognized quite a bit. It’s such a surreal moment because when you get recognized by the people who you’re making content for, it’s super rewarding. It feels really good and is a reminder to continue doing what I love to do.

ED: Do people treat you differently knowing that you’re a content creator?

DT: After having to give that speech about going to the White House, a lot of my classmates ask me the funniest questions every day. Overall, my classmates are super caring and respectful.

ED: You talk about pop culture on your Snapchat series, It’s Dai Time. What are the current pop culture trends that are taking over your group chat?

DT: All that I can think about is Wicked and Ariana Grande taking the Internet by storm.

ED: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to be a content creator or looking to go into journalism?

DT: Stay true to yourself and find ways to make yourself better, educate yourself on what you want to do, and just go for it.

ED: What’s next for you?

DT: School. I enrolled in winter classes this week. And as far as work goes, I’m always working on creating a platform that touches my peers. I’m posting weekly episodes of my talk show on Snapchat about Gen Z trending topics. Follow me on Instagram and also check out my show.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.