信任缺失改变着网络用户的行为

Mistrust Changes Internet User Behavior

信任缺失改变着网络用户的行为

 

A new survey indicates that American Internet users are becoming more concerned about whether they can trust online material. Declining trust can be seen in the wide variety of ways that people use the Internet.

 

From the obvious -- like spam offering dubious¹ medicine or get-rich-quick schemes -- to the confusing or non-existent privacy policies of many websites -- the Internet has become scary enough to have affected² Internet use.

 

Evans Witt: Fear is changing what users are doing online.

 

Evans Witt, heads Princeton Survey Research, which conducted the study.

 

Evans Witt: Users are very worried about the possibility that their personal information that is available online is going to be ripped off, and that criminals will take that information and loot their bank accounts, charge things on their credit cards, and generally ruin their financial lives. Nearly 9 out of 10 users, 86%, have changed their online behavior because of fear of identity theft.

 

Almost one-third of those surveyed say they have reduced their overall use of the Internet. One-quarter of them have stopped buying things online. That's bad news for businesses that see e-commerce as an important part of their business model.

 

Banks won't be happy to learn that less than two-thirds of the surveyed Internet users say they trust banking³ websites. But of those who actually do online banking, more than 9 out of 10 trust the website where, for example, they pay bills.

 

Maybe you go to our website, voanews.com, to catch up on the latest headlines. Traditional news and information websites did well in this survey of trust, with more than two-thirds saying they believe what they see on their favorite news website. Many of those sites are aligned⁴ with traditional media -- newspapers, radio or TV. The percentage of adults saying they get most of their news from the Internet is only 11%... but that number has doubled in just the past three years.

 

Bloggers won't be too happy with this report. Blogs are personal, online diaries that range from silly to casual to real journalism⁵. Serious bloggers want to be taken seriously, but Evans Witt says blogs seem to face a credibility gap with most web surfers.

 

Evans Witt: Only 16% say they trust what they read there, Blogs are a popular phenomenon. They're an important phenomenon. But at the moment they're not getting the kind of trust that the 'dreaded⁶ mainstream⁷ media' is getting from users today.

 

Many parents are concerned about what their children are seeing online. That's a particular problem with teenagers, whose computer skills are often far beyond their parents'. A large majority of those surveyed are worried about violent online games, the availability of sexually-explicit material, and adults lurking⁹ in kids' chat rooms. Almost 9 out of 10 adults in this survey said they would like to see a ratings system to help identify websites that should be off-limits for children.

 

About 1500 adult U.S. Internet users were surveyed for the study, which was commissioned by Consumer Reports WebWatch, a unit of the respected watchdog organization, Consumers Union. The full report is online at ConsumerWebWatch.org.

 

This is Art Chimes in Washington.

 

注释：

spam [spAm] n. 兜售信息（邮件，广告，新闻，文章）

dubious [5dju:bjEs] adj. 可疑的，不确定的

get-rich-quick 快速致富

scary [5skZEri] adj. 引起惊慌的

loot [lu:t] v. 掠夺，劫掠

phenomenon [fi5nCminEn] n. 现象

lurk⁸ [lE:k] vi. 埋伏；潜伏

off-limits 禁止进入的

1 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

5 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

6 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

7 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

8 lurk   

n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏

参考例句：

• Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
• He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。

9 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》