I think mobile phones really took off later than the late 90s. Sure, flip phones were becoming a thing, but widespread adoption was more in the mid-2000s, I think. I remember not taking a firm-provided flip phone until 2005 (at a partner's not-so-subtle urging). I was a late adopter, to be sure (at least in that professional environment). The iPhone wasn't debuted until 2007. While most everyone had a flip phone before a smart phone--or at least that was how it felt--I think the true accessibility and widespread adoption that leads to how kids communicate today came with the smart phone, not the flip phone.
But maybe this deserves treatment on the nerd thread or non-policital current events thread, rather than the obits thread.
