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Most of us take it for granted that people know what we are talking about when we mention terms like ADSL, broadband or cable. However, in a report by ISP Virgin Media, 18% of people questioned didn’t understand exactly what people meant when they used the word ‘broadband’. A much larger 40% didn’t understand ADSL. In fact, nearly half of the people questioned had no idea how broadband speed was measured, despite speed being one of the most promoted parts of most broadband services.
The report also found that 40% of users don’t know what a web browser is, and a small percentage of users believe that the high definition video format Blu-ray is actually a form of internet access. Some of these figures seem incredibly high but it’s no surprise that quite a few people don’t understand technical jargon, especially when you consider the large senior population of the UK who, in general, have not embraced the internet as much as the younger generation.
Virgin Media intend to use this information to create ‘broadband schools’ in areas where it feels education is most needed, including most major cities. The schools will be designed to help people decipher the jargon used in every day ‘tech speak’. The idea of attending a class on the subject does seem a little extreme however; most users can pick up enough information on the terms and technology of broadband from reading a few guides on the net or their local bookstore. If not enough to become technical capable at least enough to make informed consumer decisions.
This is where the idea of schools funded by Virgin Media seems a little worrying. Are they going to educate users that ADSL and cable are both viable options for internet users? Will the education be totally independent, as it should be, or with a strong bias towards the idea of subscribing to a certain fibre optic technology controlled entirely by Virgin Media themselves? We won’t know for a while, as there have been very little details released about the schools themselves.
Executive Director of Broadband at Virgin Media, Jon James commented: “It’s great to see that Brits have a thirst for getting online but there is still scope to improve their broadband experience. We want to help people understand the language of the internet, by cutting through the jargon, using simple and honest terms that everyone can understand and bringing broadband back to basics.”
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