Pew Research Center just released the results of a recent survey meant to get an idea of Americans’ digital literacy. The 10-question survey, called the Americans and Digital Knowledge report, polled 4,272 adults in June on themes like the tech industry and cybersecurity.
When asked whether Facebook owned the popular social apps Instagram and WhatsApp (which it does), only 29 percent got the question right. Among the remaining 70 percent, 49 percent answered “not sure” while only 22 percent said no. So at least we know that many Americans are aware of how difficult it can be to keep up with all the ins and outs of the tech industry.
On the bright side, 67 percent of respondents knew that phishing scams can occur across a variety of platforms, and 63 percent knew what website cookies do. Additionally, 59 percent recognize that advertising is social media platforms’ biggest revenue source, and nearly half (48 percent) knew what a privacy policy was.
