I found an archive of old posts and Gmail chats from when I was 11 — and instead of cringing, it endeared me to that youthful, carefree version of myself

• I recently found a forgotten archive of Gmail chats and Google Buzz posts from when I was 10 to 11 years old.
• Reading the posts was a bit surreal, and reminded me how silly and effusive I was as a kid. 
• It feels harder to be expressive as an adult and on the irreverent internet today — but I'm inspired to try.

I started becoming a conscious person as the world was moving online — meaning, during the boom of social media platforms in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I was simultaneously gaining awareness, learning to socialize with others, and growing up as a kid.

While people only a few years older talked to their friends on the phone or sent physical letters, I mostly connected to my friends online.