Poll: Consumers Don't Know VoIP from Their Elbow

Another technology reality check:

... a new survey from market researchers Harris Interactive suggests the average consumer doesn't know his VoIP from his elbow. The poll, commissioned by Verizon, found that out of 1,006 American adults, 20 percent believed VoIP was a hybrid automobile from Europe and 10 percent thought it was a low-carbohydrate vodka. Respondents were offered those choices in addition to the real definition of VoIP. Overall, 87 percent got the answer wrong.

Verizon, which offers Internet telephony services, figured that terminology associated with the technology might be putting people off. No! Ya think?

Unfortunately, a lot of companies have pillaged people's wallets for a long time when the "consumers" weren't aware of what made the things they use work. That world is gone.

The point is, the adoption rate for things like VoIP isn't scaring off the 18-35 year old, who has been hearing the term for quite some time now. I'll also say that when I've been able to get my mother-in-law to sign up for VoIP and dump her longtime landline, that the product has arrived.

You could commission a poll like this on a lot of things, technology related or not, and get similar results. Go outside and ask 500 people about who various high ranking, in the news daily government officials are and the results will be shocking.

As my dear ol' dad used to say, BL, "the masses are asses." Evidence is everywhere, for example: 47 percent of Americans surveyed by Harris in Feb/05 thought that Saddam helped plan and support the 9/11 hijackers ... about 25% of Americans believe that the sun revolves around the Earth ... hell, there are even people who think "Gigli" was worth the eight bucks!