Boy, did I just feel obsolete!

My history degree taught me that the only constant is change, and the rate of change is accelerating.

I was reminded of that just now. I wanted to send an email to my niece, but didin’t have her email address. I asked my wife for it; she said, “I don’t have it; I usually just text her.” So, I texted my sister with the same question. Her answer: “I don’t have it; I usually just text her.”

When did email become obsolete? I must have blinked and missed it!

You can send an email to a cell phone number, but it has to be configured just so. And generally it's limited to 160 characters. FWIW.

Just a couple weeks ago, I attended a presentation by the leading expert on "generation Z", and this is one of the things she covered. Generally, younger folks hate email. Truth be told, I don't prefer it either, and I'm decidedly not part of generation Z, though I guess I'm young...ish(? [I'm 40]). Of the 3 email accounts I have (not counting the ones I've never used through the years and have forgotten about), I really only keep up with my work email. One of the interesting points from the speech that caught my attention is that when older generations start to use a media platform, the younger folks leave and find a new one. They've already started an exodus from Facebook. Snapchat is likely next on the chopping block.

EDIT: One thing worth adding is that in spite of gen Z's reputation for being addicted to mobile devices, they overwhelmingly prefer face to face interaction for certain purposes (such as scheduling meetings with a college professor vs email)!