So can text files. The distributed ledger algorithm has intrinsic value as an algorithm, but not so much the coins. If retailers and banks and other institutions continue to accept them, they do have some value, but that can also be fleeting.
Until a major government backs it or something, it's value can go away in a poof.
Sure, sometimes a text file is the best way to send money over the internet, although I have to stretch to think of those scenarios.
Bitcoin is the best way to send money in a lot of scenarios. Visa is the best in a lot of scenarios, Venmo is the best in a lot of scenarios, sometimes a check is best, but there are a lot of scenarios where that won’t work.
Bitcoins use value comes from the number of those scenarios.
Until a major government backs it or something, it's value can go away in a poof.