The traditional usage of SMS communication is certainly declining. No doubt. But that doesn't mean I can take this article serious. The article lists the follow

The traditional usage of SMS communication is certainly declining. No doubt. But that doesn't mean I can take this article serious. The article lists the following as reasons to why SMS is declining: You pay for texts: With a texting plan from your cell phone provider, you usually pay to send text messages. Well, I speak for the popular providers out there. Most of them have unlimited texting at very reasonable price so it isn't like early 2000 where AT&T might charge you something per 100 text messages. For god sake, who does that? http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/prepaidplans.html http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/prepaidplans.html AT&T's GoPhone (prepaid, no annual contract) can have unlimited texting at as low as $25 (that includes texting text, picture and video). For example, you can set a time limit for how long messages on Snapchat can be seen; you can send audio or video clips with WhatsApp. This is totally application dependent. SMS was not created for that purpose and this is unfair to say SMS sucks because message doesn't expire. So of course it doesn't fit some people's requirements. You don't have to worry about phone numbers But you have to worry about an account. FB, Google Hangout, Snapchat all have accounts. Your number is your identity in SMS's world, and your email / app account is your identity to your contacts. If we want multiple numbers, then how is it different from facebook requires a different account? The SMS works just fine. It's that we tight the phone with a single number and because SMS is distributed in a phone, there is a single identity. Where young people go, their elders will follow I consider myself an elder for being 22. Okay. Joking aside, I mean I don't use WhatsApp or Snapchat. I didn't really start using Twitter until Q3 2013. And to be honest, when the author says people over 55 will be buying smart phones at the quickest rate this year, this doesn't prove elders are following young people. The old flip phones are going away in the market. It's 2014 and there aren't that many left. Smartphones are everywhere (at least in the US). Do you see people carrying mobile phone from the 1990s? Of course not. Was that because the people in their 20s back then was carrying those small flip phones? No. Of course not. It was because people found value in the smaller and smarter mobile phones so they ditched the big mobile phone. When AT&T renew my 2-year contract I get discount on new mobile phones. Of course I will take advantage of that. I am not arguing that young people don't influence the market and how we buy things, but to say the decline of SMS has to do with elders following young people's footstep is not right. Many applications are integrated with SMS. For example, you can reply and get notify via SMS on your phone. You don't need to have FB Messenger or Twitter app installed on your phone. I can disconnect my data connection and get notify on my phone. That's a great benefit. I don't need to connect to the internet all the time. I just connect when I need to.