This thread is a good confirmation (bias?) of the issues facing the hobby (and the service) in the modern era. But still, I - 29 year old millennial - still think it’s an immeasurably fun and worthwhile hobby. I’m a co-founder of Youth on the Air [1], an IARU Region 2 (North/South America) spin-off of Youngsters on the Air [2], which is an initiative to connect young hams together and generally promote youth in the amateur radio and the art and science of radio and wireless.
So many believe that ham radio is no longer relevant in the 21st century, because of cell phones and ubiquitous internet, and a lot of us hams have one or two common refrains to rebut that:
1. what happens when all else fails? Ham radio!(preparedness and emergency communications)
2. it was hams who created the technology and trillions of dollars worth of infrastructure that make those things work
I take different approach that might be more welcome on this forum - ham radio is a wireless technology and radio science sandbox that is not only a really fun ultra-multifaceted hobby, but it’s also a prime extracurricular opportunity for young people (relative to the average amateur radio operator - a 55 year old white American).
I’d wax eloquent on the relevance of ham radio and how we can both bring the hobby back into mainstream but I’m with my family enjoying a long weekend after way too many hours of work, so hit me up [3].