How Many Americans Think They Can Catch an STD from their Computer?

If only there were a place where people had access to vast troves of information, and could seek it out to inform themselves about things they do not understand . . . From the LA Times:
A recent study found that many Americans are lost when it comes to tech-related terms, with 11% saying that they thought HTML — a language that is used to create websites — was a sexually transmitted disease.  The study was conducted by Vouchercloud.net, a coupons website, as a way to determine how knowledgeable users are when it comes to tech terms . . . Besides HTML, there were some other amusing findings:
  • 77% of respondents could not identify what SEO means. SEO stands for "Search-Engine Optimization"
  • 27% identified "gigabyte" as an insect commonly found in South America. A gigabyte is a measurement unit for the storage capacity of an electronic device.
  • 42% said they believed a "motherboard" was "the deck of a cruise ship." A motherboard is usually a circuit board that holds many of the key components of a computer.
  • 23% thought an "MP3" was a "Star Wars" robot. It is actually an audio file.
  • 18% identified "Blu-ray" as a marine animal. It is a disc format typically used to store high-definition videos.
  • 15% said they believed "software" is comfortable clothing. Software is a general term for computer programs.
  • 12% said "USB" is the acronym for a European country. In fact, USB is a type of connector.
Despite the incorrect answers, 61% of the respondents said it is important to have a good knowledge of technology in this day and age.
Yes, the majority think it is important to have a good understanding of technology, but many apparently do not think it is important enough to, you know, actually go and inform themselves about it.  These are, of course, the same people who continue to vote for Democrats and Republicans year after year.  One wonders how many people think they can catch a virus from their computer. 

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