Millions of Britons ‘clueless’ about modern technology despite using it regularly, study claims

Two-thirds admit their knowledge is average at best with 42 per cent complaining new tech is too complicated

Many adults believed they could rely on their children for help with technical problems, yet some young people did not understand terms such as 'Firewall' and 'Download' (Rex Features)

Millions of Britons are clueless about technology – and many do not know the difference between an upload and a download, a study has found.

Researchers found a quarter of the nation are clueless when it comes to "the cloud" and have no idea how "cloud storage" works.

Even the meaning of common tech acronyms, such as USB and Wi-Fi, has divided the nation – both young and old.

Less than half of Britons knew that USB stands for "Universal Serial Bus", with nearly a quarter thinking the popular term stands for "Universal System Block" or "Uniform Standard Block".

Three-quarters of the nation also mistakenly believed that Wi-Fi stands for something, when in fact, the creators of the term have admitted it is simply a catchy phrase and does not in fact stand for anything.

Other confusing terms include "updating your story", with a fifth of the nation using the phrase when talking about updating a CV.

The poll of 2,000 adults by Currys PC World revealed two-thirds of people admitted their tech knowledge is average at best.

With 42 per cent confessing they feel current technology is too complicated.

This is despite the high percentage of Britons using devices on a regular basis, with eight in 10 adults using a smartphone and nearly two-thirds using a laptop daily.

Part of the problem is also outdated tech, with Britons listing the top tech bugbears that their laptops or computers are too slow, too old or they don’t have enough memory.

Six in 10 respondents also said they feel frustrated when they can’t make their computer do what they want it to, with others experiencing feelings of anger and inadequacy.

Whilst nearly four in 10 adults felt they could rely on their children to help with any technical issues, it appears that young Britons might know less than they think.

Adults across the UK were more likely to understand widely-used terms such as ‘Firewall’, ‘Modem’ and ‘Download’ compared to today’s youth.

However, nearly one in 10 of over 55’s who took part in the OnePoll.com study were more likely to believe that a filter is used to make coffee, rather than to change the way a photograph looks.

Whilst they may not be as familiar with more traditional terms as their older counterparts, young people proved they have a strong grasp of modern day tech slang, with phrases like "sliding into your DMs" and "boomerang" up to nine times more likely to be used in their vocabulary.

​​SWNS