You're not a dying breed, you're just not what Verizon wants you to be.
Oh, and the kids who don't send email; trust me, it's because they don't know how. I started college five years ago and expected to be overwhelmed by the technical knowledge of my fellow students. If one more of these "kids" asks me to fix their computer or design their webpage or teach them to run Word and SPSS, I'm going to have to thump them with my amazing Tablet PC (oooooohhhhh...you can write on the screen?). A cellphone is the very limit of the knowledge most of them have, and a Smartphone can make their brain explode.
With the current offerings, it's worth $19.95. With the additions mentioned, maybe $39.95. I tried .mac for the first year after I got my Mac. I felt like I was being ripped off, so I got rid of it.
Reality Check, I Am Not Part of the New Tech Savy Generation
What's Wrong With .Mac and How to Fix It