Computer mice in Internet cafes are in second place on the list of germ-infested items in public places * Only the handles of shopping carts in supermarkets are more contaminated. This is according to a study published this week in Korea.
Anthony Gonzalez, InformationWeek
Computer mice in internet cafes are in second place on the list of germ-infested items in public places, before door handles in public toilets and bus handles, according to a study conducted by the Korean Government Consumer Protection Authority and published this week in the Korea Times newspaper. The only item found to be even more polluted than computer mice in internet cafes are the handles of shopping carts in supermarkets. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were found in many of the infected items, which cause infections in contact with wounded skin.
The Korea Consumer Protection Authority checked 120 items in public places in the Seoul city area. On average, 1,100 units of bacterial contamination (CFU) were found in an area of 10 cm in the handles of shopping carts, 690 units in computer mice in internet cafes, 380 units in bus handles, 340 units in door handles in public toilets and 130 units in elevator buttons .
The best way to prevent bacterial infection is to do exactly what mom taught us: wash your hands. However, the findings of the Korea Consumer Protection Authority show that we are not listening to mother's voice: although over 77% of users are aware of the importance of hand washing, only 47.9% of them wash their hands after using public items.
Caution, the Internet is dangerous for your health!
Forrester Research in a new report: surfers report problems with their hands and fingers, difficulty sleeping and deterioration of vision
The DailyMaily system, people and computers
Almost a quarter of all users in North America (22%) believe that the Internet has had a general negative effect on their lives, compared to 54% who believe that the Internet has had a positive effect on their lives, according to a new study by the research company Forrester Research. The study, which included tens of thousands of respondents, reveals that most people are indeed satisfied with the Internet's contribution to their lives, but many believe at the same time that the Internet has had a negative effect on their health.
According to consumer responses, the biggest positive effect of using the Internet is that consumers have become more alert to what is happening in the world. Over half of the respondents stated that the use of the Internet increased their awareness and knowledge about what is happening in the world. The second place in the list of positive effects came from the improvement in social life - about a third of the respondents mentioned the improvement of social ties with family and friends, the expansion of the community to which they are connected and even a positive effect on their career. In third place in the list of positive effects, consumers stated that the Internet makes them feel better and happier in general - almost 30% of the respondents feel this way.
"Despite the feedback received as part of the study from consumers, according to which the network improved their general physical condition, many of the surfers stated that the network had a negative effect on their health, and in particular had a negative effect on their palms and fingers, on their sleeping habits, caused a deterioration in their vision, and also caused them to create or for increasing back and neck pain. Many consumers feel that the use of the Internet increases the risk that they will suffer from 'carpal tunnel' syndrome, the deterioration of vision, or a type of 'functional scoliosis'; Between 17% and 30% of consumers claim that surfing the Internet has caused their medical condition to deteriorate in regards to their hands, vision and posture," says Chris Caron, vice president and senior researcher at Forrester.
One of the interesting phenomena that emerges from the research is that there is a high variation between different groups in the population, and their feelings regarding the effect of the Internet on their lives. Women, for example, tend to attribute to the Internet a less positive overall effect on their lives, compared to men, who attribute more positive attributes to the Internet. In addition, young people aged 18 to 34 find more positive aspects to the Internet than an older population; Astonishingly, the young population is also the one from which the largest number of complaints come regarding the negative effects of the Internet on their vision and posture. However, the most negative health impact, in terms of worsening problems, is recorded among the age group of 55 and older.
