According to a Data Memo by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 29% of online Americans have a good idea what phishing means, 13% what podcasting is, and only 9% know what RSS feeds are. Over half knew the terms adware, internet cookies, spyware, firewall and spam.
Of course, the real question in my mind isn’t whether people know what phishing means, but whether they know that regardless of what it’s called the 22 “You must change your PayPal password!” emails they have in their inbox are attempts at fraud. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how these terms spread in the next six months or so.
(Thanks to Rowan for the link.)