Fees are always optional. Right now $0.25 will make a tx confirm in under 70 minutes (typical 225-byte tx, 40 sat/B: https://bitcoinfees.21.co). Solutions are being developed left & right to further reduce this: alts, segwit, block size increases (segwit2x, BCH 8MB blocks), payment channels, etc.
(Answer edited. Yes merchants care indirectly about fees.)
How will the average user be able to avoid these fees considering they'll probably be using some 3rd party app?
Appealing to the common person is going to involve larger exchanges how will digital coin grow and still keep digital currencies decentralized?
I apologize for my ignorance in advance. I'm really just trying to learn more about this, and can't find any consensus, even within blogs/articles authored by the same people.
> Merchants don't care as fees are paid by the sender.
As a merchant I absolutely disagree: the cost of my product is how much it costs the user, which includes the complete costs to the user, not just my price.
