Avira survey: two thirds of the people interviewed dislike Web 2.0

Wed, 11 June 2008

Communication in the digital era: While every seventh person administers his contacts online, two out of three refuse to use Web 2.0

Tettnang,  11 June 2008 – In the Web-2.0 era, information is searched for in Wikis, business contacts are made in Linkedin and friends communicate with Facebook Web-2.0 tools will establish themselves as useful Internet applications over the long term. A current survey carried out by the security expert Avira, concludes that 14 percent of Internet users communicate more online than face-to-face. The German IT security expert posed the following question to 1,432 visitors on its website www.free-av.de: “Wikis, blogs and social networks – for many Internet users there is no way around the new Web-2.0 tools. Be honest, are you really into Web-2.0?”

Web-2.0 is a popular buzzword with many facets: The term embraces all Internet applications that provide design and communication possibilities to the user. Wiki websites are the most popular applications for Web-2.0 users and video communities that are used in parallel to conventional media. Blogs are a popular source of information for specific purposes and ten percent of the Avira interviewees value the information found on them. The popularity and the increasing familiarity of bloggers contribute to use blogs on a regular basis.

Data protectors have been warning against the data striptease in Web 2.0 since the online community Facebook used its members as an advertising media: 40 percent of the participants in the survey by Avira are against the digital exhibitionism in Web-2.0 and do not disclose their personal data in social networks, blogs or wikis. Twenty-eight percent of the participants in the survey think that “Facebook, self-portrayals on MySpace or status messages on Twitter don‘t make any sense”. For some, Web 2.0 applications are the new entertainment media of the future and for some, they are a mere waste of time.

“Businesses sooner or later will have to use the new forms of knowledge and information exchange such as weblogs”, says Tjark Auerbach, founder and CEO of Avira. “For many German companies, Web-2.0 functions such as corporate blogs, are etiquette”.

Spam senders discovered Web-2.0 is useful for their purposes: recently two American spammers were adjudged $ 230 million, because they had sent spam messages to members of the community website MySpace. Eight percent of the people who participated in the survey by Avira agreed that such incidents are reason enough for them to turn their back on Web-2.0. “The operators of Web-2.0 applications should protect the users from the abuse of news, spam and phishing emails”, recommends Auerbach. “Users should protect their private sphere and restrict their personal information to a minimum. Potential employers can use these portals, for instance, as a source of information on future employees.”

Avira offers basic protection at www.freee-av.com to surf the Net without fear of malware. Users, who wish to have a greater amount of security on the Net, can purchase the Avira Internet Security Suite for 39.95 euro a year. In addition to the award-winning virus protection, the software offers a firewall as well as an anti-spam and a backup feature.

About Avira

Avira is a worldwide leading supplier of self-developed security solutions for professional and private use. With more than twenty years of experience, the company is one of the pioneers in this field.

The security expert has several locations in Germany and partnerships in Europe, Asia and America. At its headquarters in Tettnang near Lake Constance, Avira is one of the region’s largest employers with more than 180 employees. Worldwide more than 250 persons are employed and their work regularly wins awards. Avira AntiVir Personal, used by millions of private users, represents a significant contribution to security.

Avira’s national and international customers include renowned corporations listed on the stock exchange but also educational institutions and public authorities. In addition to protection of the virtual environment, Avira also provides for more protection and security in the real world by supporting the Auerbach Foundation. Established by the founder of the company, the Auerbach Foundation promotes charitable and social projects as well as the arts, culture and science.

Company Contact:
Avira GmbH
Elisabeth Rothbart
Lochhamer Schlag 5a
D-82166 Gräfelfing/München
Telephone: +49 (0) 89 8583 639 17
Fax: +49 (0) 89 8583 639 20
Email:

Press Contact:
LEWIS Global PR
Korinna Dieck
Baierbrunner Str. 15
D-81379 Munich
Telephone: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 33
Fax: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 99
Email: avira@lewispr.com

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