Most people have a friend, which may be you, who they go to for technology or gadget advice when they need to know something. Even if you aren't exactly an expert, I hope you're more informed than some of the people in a recent survey which showed some cringe-worthy lack of knowledge about technology.
Coupon site Vouchercloud.net, reports the Los Angeles Times, wanted to see how knowledgeable its customers are in relation to technology, since people often use the site to purchase electronic products. They asked customers about an item or term and gave them three possible definitions (they weren't told their knowledge was being tested). Here are some of the most amusing misconceptions:
-When asked what HTML is, the fundamental programming language used to create websites, 11% said it was a sexually transmitted disease.
- 23% identified "MP3" as a robot from "Star Wars". Poor R2 and C3-PO--I bet people rarely confuse Luke with technology terminology.
- 15% said they thought "software" was comfortable clothing, rather than the general name for computer programs and games.
- 27% believed "gigabyte" was a common South American insect rather than a unit of electronic storage.
- 18% identified "Blu-ray" as a marine animal. It is a disc format with large storage for high-definition videos and movies.
- USB is the acronym for a European country according to 12% of responders. It is actually the name of the ubiquitous port type common on mice, keyboards and most other plugs and stands for Universal Serial Bus.
I think we can conclude that a good number of Americans are apparently lost when it comes to certain jargon, acronyms, and terms-so much so, that this is a rare time when I hope this study failed the basic fundamentals for sampling and survey-response gathering rather than the alternative be true.
Even with all the confusion and incorrect answers, 61% of the respondents said having a good knowledge and understanding of technology is important in this day and age. The study involved 2,392 men and women 18 years of age or older.