The Great British Public; baffled by technology

It’s a worrying sign of just how much work there is to do if we are going to steer the nation towards a bright future based around a digital economy.

Despite all the talk about broadband Britain and the Digital Britain Report, the fact remains that if you advise someone to try hanging their dongle out of a window you’ll probably get a visit from the police rather than a thank you.

London based PR firm, Lewis PR, has released a survey which demonstrates a surprising lack of basic tech knowledge on the streets of our cities.

According to the survey 10% of respondents thought a wireless dongle (broadband adaptor) was an adult toy, and 6% thought that a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) was an STD.

3% thought that Bill Gates was an American Comedian and 2% were convinced that he was one of the Great Train Robbers.

Worringly, phishing – one of the fastest growing online crimes – was believed by 4% of respondents to be a method of fishing used solely by North American Inuit tribes. Weird.

Steve Jobs seems to have caused particular confusion amongst us. We may nearly all have an iPod or iPhone in our pockets, these days, but one in ten of us believe that the man who invented them is a trade union leader, and one in 20 thinks that he can be found plying his trade as a League One footballer.

Ed Adeyeri of Lewis PR said:

Although many people knew the correct answers, a substantial minority had absolutely no idea. There is a digital divide in Britain between those who understand the importance of technology and those who are either not interested or frightened by it.

Should any of you have relatives in this position we heartily recommend that you direct them to PC Site, where we promise to do all we can to help.

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Image Credit: David Reece