This is actually quite exciting! The greatest-app-nobodys-ever-heard-of called Signal (formerly known as TextSecure) is a fantastic little piece of encypted communication tech. It allows you to safely discuss things without the risk of anyone listening in. I use it as often as I can, but not that many people have it or want to install another messaging app.
Now it seems like some tech giants are picking up on this (finally) and integrating this technology in their already massively popular chat apps. This means that secure encrypted communication could be coming to you soon, while still using the same familiar apps!
Also worthy of mention here is Keybase. While it has a different focus and is not primarily a communications solution, it is an effort to empower people in thinking about crypto and security and protecting their data, while not being overly difficult to get started with.