That ‘Internet Explorer Users Are Dumber’ Study? Bogus.

Another example of how easy it is for a hoax to spread, when the content fits an esablished “narrative,” and editors are hungry for evidence supporting a story they already believe is true. I have no particular love for IE, but the truth is worth publishing..

All you diehard Internet Explorer users can relax this morning, because it sounds like the story that suggested users of Microsoft’s browser had a lower IQ than those who chose other browsers was an elaborate concoction. Maybe you saw this thing last week, when the media went a little hog wild with reports like InfoWorld’s “Just how stupid are Internet Explorer users?”, Seattle Weekly’s “Use Internet Explorer? You’re Probably Dumb, Study Says,” or Forbes’ apparently not debatable declaration “Internet Explorer Users Are Stupid.”

The coverage catalyst: a so-called study by a company dubbed AptiQuant which claimed to measure “the effects of cognitive ability on the choice of web browser.” The company said it offered free online IQ tests to upwards of 100,000 people and “then plotted the average IQ scores based on the browser on which the test was taken.” —That ‘Internet Explorer Users Are Dumber’ Study? Bogus. – Techland – TIME.com.