Tech Terms Baffle Most U.S. Adults

Only 43 percent of the U.S. 2,748 adults responding to an online survey agree they are in-the-know about the latest tech buzzwords, according to a Harris Interactive study commissioned for Microsoft Windows Live.

Seventy-seven percent of women say they are not knowledgeable about the latest tech buzzwords, compared with 45 percent of men. Although 79 percent of U.S. adults are aware of blogs, only 17 percent read them.

One in three, or 32 percent, of U.S. adults say they aren't sure how best to describe voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Seventy one percent have never heard of Really Simple Syndication (RSS).

Forty six percent said they don't know the definition of Internet tagging. Tagging is similar to the bookmarks people make on their personal Web browsers, except that tagged Web pages are stored on the Internet and can be accessed from any computer at any time.

The survey data was weighted to represent the total U.S. adult population on the basis of religion, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity and propensity to be online, a Microsoft spokeswoman told TechWeb Thursday.