[Sigia-l] Inertia redefined

[Listera]

A new study "Spyware: The threat of unwanted software programs is changing
the way people use the internet" by Pew Internet & American Life Projects
says:

Nine out of ten internet users say they have adjusted their online
behavior out of fear of falling victim to software intrusions.

Overall, 91% of internet users say they have made at least one change in
their online behavior to avoid unwanted software programs. Among the
changes: 

* 81% of internet users say they have stopped opening email attachments
unless they are sure these documents are safe.

* 48% of internet users say they have stopped visiting particular Web sites
that they fear might deposit unwanted programs on their computers.
 
* 25% of internet users say they have stopped downloading music or video
files from peer-to-peer networks to avoid getting unwanted software programs
on their computers.

* 18% of internet users say they have started using a different Web browser
to avoid software intrusions.

...and many other goodies.

<http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Spyware_Report_July_05.pdf>

I find the study interesting not (just) for the user reaction to spyware per
se, but more so as an example of the velocity with which users react to
digital phenomena online and how behavior modification does and doesn't
happen in the aggregate.

Ziya
Nullius in Verba