Most users of current technology don't know the difference between the terms "Internet" and "World Wide Web."
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What is your Web IQ? Most of us would confidently testify that we are just two clicks shy of being an expert, if not a complete genius on the matter. What more does anyone need in order to be savvy than an internet connection and something with which to connect? The net is such an ingrained part of most of our daily lives that it seems to go without saying that using that technology is simple enough. We log on. We surf. We watch stuff and interact on social media. What more is there to know about this technology that has become such an integral part of our lives?
Survey results released on Tuesday point to something altogether different than what we might think, reported Time, Nov. 25. “Most Americans don’t understand how the internet works,” states their headline.
Sure, net users know the basic concepts surrounding internet usage and technology but Pew Research Center’s survey results showed that Americans didn’t even know the difference between the terms “Internet” and “The World Wide Web.” Contrary to what one might think, the two terms are not one and the same.
Stuff.co wrote that “Most people can recognise Microsoft founder Bill Gates and know that hashtags belong in tweets, but are confused about whether having a privacy policy means that a company actually keeps consumer information confidential.” This latter bit of information was answered correctly by a mere 44% of survey takers.
Ignorance about the way the Internet works is a “growing problem.” An increasing number of people have become reliant on current technologies without having much of an idea of how they really work. Further, a whole history of what is happening in the internet world seems to exist in the background as a good deal of internet users simply use the net, uninformed. For example, according to the survey, 66% of those who took the quiz did not know aboutMoore’s Law (or its significance) and “most Americans can’t recognize Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
SFGate reported that the survey was conducted between Sept. 12-18 and included the results of 1,066 internet users who were 18 years of age and older. The senior researcher at Pew Research, Aaron Smith, thought it would be interesting to learn where gaps might be in internet users’ knowledge. The information could be very helpful to policy makers and tech designers.
Curious about how you might fair on the survey? A short version of the official quiz is online. Though it will not affect the results as reported in the media today, it will give you an idea on how much you really know about the web and current technologies.
*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com
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