TIME Technology

Study: 11% of Americans Think HTML Is an STD

HTML Tag on a Computer Monitor Screen
Nick Koudis—Getty Images

According to a new study

Had a particularly raucous night that ended with you doing the walk of shame the next morning? Uh oh, hope you don’t get HTML. Just kidding! HTML is a programming language that’s used to make websites, but according to a new study from VoucherCloud and published by the L.A. Times, 1 in every 9 Americans–or exactly 11%–think HTML is actually a sexually transmitted disease. VoucherCloud surveyed 2,392 people ages 18 or older and, according to the L.A. Times, “were given both tech and non-tech terms and were asked to choose from three possible definitions.” The results? An embarrassing amount of Americans think HTML is a disease you can catch from another human being–which says a lot about the state of both sex and computer education in the U.S. Other findings, unearthed by the Times:

  • 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.

    It’s like they ONLY interviewed my grandma and her friends!

    [video id=DQbujPQY]

    PHOTOS: The Rise of Mobile Phones from 1916 to Today

    A German field telephone station in the Aisne department of northern France during World War I. French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday in a scene from the film 'Point de Chute' (aka 'Falling Point'). An early mobile phone during the Iranian Embassy siege at Princes Gate in South Kensington, London. Bob Maxwell, general manager of Englewood-based Mobile Telephone of Colorado, places a call on FCC-approved radio frequency while driving to work. Bill Clinton,  Ray Flynn Whoopi Goldberg during ShoWest in Las Vegas. A farmer with his family sitting on a Bullock Cart and talking on a mobile Phone, in Delhi. World Trade Center Terrorist Attack. A rebel militiaman speaks on his mobile phone after capturing territory from government troops on March 25 2 in Ben Jawat, Libya. A youth films the aftermath of tear gas police fired at protestors in Muhammed Mahmoud Street near Tahrir Square on November 23 in Cairo. Audience members take pictures of President Barack Obama at Florida Atlantic University on April 10 in Boca Raton, Florida. A teenager takes a selfie in front of Queen Elizabeth II during a walk around St. Georges Market in Belfast.
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