"26% of Internet users have no idea what RSS feed is, 23% have never heard of podcasting", screams a breathless headline from ZDnet, as they cite a Pew poll relating to internet literacy. These number supposedly show that many people aren't abreast of new technologies. The only problem is, ZDnet got it absolutely backwards. The pew poll suggested that only 26% of internet users do know what RSS is and only 23% do know what podcasting is. If you want to read a more accurate article about the survey, look here.
The point of this entry is not to call out the anonymous ZDnet writer, but to make a broader point about how easy it is for people "in the know" to get out of touch with the average consumer. Imagine...he thought it was newsworthy that 26% of users don't know what RSS is, and was totally off.
Think about this with respect, to say, Newspapers and their share? Just because you read news on blogs and look for jobs on craigslist doesn't mean most other people do. In fact, most people have never looked at a blog and have never heard of craigslist, and it might be that way for a long time to come. In the meantime, there are a lot of profits to be had just by selling ads on paper.
Just something to think about.
I beg to differ. The table from Pew report is quoted on ZDNet, and the linked BBC article also makes a point that 9% *do know* what RSS is, whole 26% *do not*.
PDF report from pew here - http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Data_Techterm_aware.pdf
Posted by: Anonymous ZDNet writer | July 22, 2005 at 03:05 PM