A Letter to Little Me

Dear Little Ri,

Don’t drunk tweet. Or, do it. I mean, who cares. You are freaking hilarious — especially at 2:00AM. Ok, but for real, don’t post any side-bang-mirror-selfies-all-black-outfit photos online because the internet is forever. Be cool Ri.

I am writing this letter to you from the future. I just want to let you know what you will be getting yourself into, and it is not all bad. But, why don’t we dive into this? The first platform that you will ever use is Tumblr but, you will keep your Tumblr private because you get the internet is strange, and full of mystery and weird kinky sh**. Tumblr will serve you well and it will also teach you a lot about art and culture. You will be able to exert your sarcastic ways via the pictures, GIFs, and videos on Tumblr — this will help you become more confident in yourself. So, blog away little Ri, do you. Blogging will help you to develop your character a little better, and because you will keep everything private you will not fear being judged by others.

Judgement. That is something that terrifies you. I guess it terrifies a lot of us but, we cannot let it consume our characters. My advice, do not be afraid of who you are because you are a brilliant young woman who will move on to do incredible things in your life. Establish your character online — do not be afraid of what the world expects of you because let me tell you something, society’s view on you will only ever hinder your possibilities for greatness. Embrace opportunities — embrace social media.

What else can you expect? Well, the times that you were born into are transformative. Your generation will become infatuated with social media. The most popular means of communicating with your peers will be via Facebook. And, the account that you will refer to most is Instagram. Oh, and as for Twitter — yeah, you will say some crazy stuff but, you’ll always voice your views on your values (I.e. Feminism, Academia, etc.,). You’ve got this Rialda. But, be careful because your vision will get worse since your eyes are always glued to your devices. And, the world has transgressed into Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World. You’ll stop reading as much and I’m telling you now that you should never let literature go. Read. Find time to read. Books will allow you to embrace different linguistic styles of communication and fundamentally help you to become a better person. Not that you need to but, you’ll want to.

Embrace your writing abilities. I can tell you that you’re very busy at 21 (and, I’m so proud of you baby-girl). You are a junior coordinator and content coordinator for a company that you never thought you would work for, in an industry that is pretty much completely against your values. But, take that opportunity to make a change within the industry. Write as much as you can. Be public with your writing. Write freely and consciously. More importantly, sign your name after you’ve completed a chapter. The world that is waiting for you is one big branding opportunity.

Best,

Rialda — 21.