All urban legend! 8 misconceptions about technology

Throughout human history, legends have always been born, and these legends have been passed down from ear to ear. If we really don’t know anything about a subject, myths pop up and fill in the gaps. It is also not surprising to see the myths about technology in recent times, with the development of technology.

Most of our life is connected with technology. However, technology is advancing so fast that it is difficult for us to keep up with some innovations. In fact, some myths may begin to make sense in matters we find difficult to follow. We’ve rounded up the most common tech urban legends you’ve heard from the internet or from friends. We’ve rounded up 8 of the most common tech myths for you👇

Myth 1: Your incognito browsing is undetectable

We probably want to believe in this technical myth. From browsing shopping sites without being tracked to finding things you don’t want your friends to see, there are many reasons why you need a little online privacy.

Most browsers have private browsing. But incognito mode may not be as incognito as you think. While your search history, cookies, and site data are not stored during an incognito session, your privacy ends there.

The incognito tab prevents websites from knowing who you are (unless you’re signed in), but it doesn’t hide your IP address. In addition, your activities may be monitored by your ISP and government agencies. If you’re browsing from a device from school or work, they can potentially see all of your activity, whether or not you’re in incognito mode. A VPN can be a good choice to make your browsing more private.

Myth 2: Your deleted files will instantly disappear

This is perhaps the most common technical myth. It is widely believed that when a file is deleted, it completely disappears from digital media. But it is not so. Deleting files is more like throwing them in the trash than burning them in the oven. Removing it again is pretty easy if you know how.

When a file is deleted, your computer does not actually delete it. Instead, it marks the file footprint as available for new files. It won’t actually go away until new data is written to it. This is because actually deleting a file requires as much effort as overwriting it. So to save time and processing power, your computer follows this path until you find something new for it. If you accidentally deleted something and need to restore it, it might be helpful to know. There are a number of solutions you can use to get your files back if they haven’t been overwritten yet.

Myth 3: Task killer apps speed up your phone

The frequent use of task killers is due to a misunderstanding of how RAM works in an Android device. It is a common misconception that apps running in the background are consuming memory, causing your phone to run slower. This may be the case on your PC but not on your phone.

Task completion apps can see which apps are running and close them manually. However, apps running in the background have many reasons for doing so. Android keeps everything running to make sure they run fast and accurately. For example, your email or social networking apps might be running in the background to alert you to new notifications. Force-closing them with the task killer will prevent you from receiving notifications.

The Android system automatically frees up memory. Finishing missions give a sense of control. But at best they copy an existing process, at worst they slow down your phone even more.

Myth 4: Mobile phones cannot be infected with malware

There is a common misconception that malware is only for computers. This technical myth likely stems from a confusion based terminology. The terms “virus” and “malware” are often used interchangeably, and that’s the point.

According to Avast, your mobile phone will most likely not be infected with a virus (hot copy malware), but may be infected with other types of malware.

Malware can get infected from messages, apps, or when you connect your phone to another device. Android phones are at risk of malware infection due to the operating system and the large number of people who use them. If you find that you have been the victim of a malware attack on your phone, there are several things you can do, including rebooting in safe mode, removing suspicious apps, and installing a mobile security app.

Myth 5: The signal bar icon works flawlessly

We tend to think that the lower signal bar we see on the signal bar means poor service, while the full ones mean excellent service. This is because the signal bar icon is the only real way to visualize our network connection. Having a full bar does not necessarily mean you will have a good connection.

According to CNET, your phone’s signal bandwidth is an indicator of the strength of the signal it’s receiving from nearby cell towers, but they don’t have a linear relationship with signal strength. There really is no standard unit of measure for how signal strength is displayed on phones.

Also, the bars show connectivity to an existing network, but not the quality of that network at any given time. As a result, you may find your dashboards full when you’re having trouble connecting to the internet or making calls.

Myth 6: Cell phones can give you cancer.

It is widely believed that the constant use of mobile phones can increase the risk of cancer. The belief is based on the fact that cell phones use radio frequency energy and we usually keep them close to our heads. However, according to the FDA, after decades of increased use and several scientific studies, there is no solid evidence that cell phone use increases the risk of cancer.

Given the fact that the vast majority of people in the world now have cell phones, we can expect a sharp increase in brain or nervous system cancers over the past few decades. However, according to research, this is not the case.

Myth 7: The battery must be completely discharged before charging.

Many people believe that the phone battery should be as small as possible before recharging in order to prolong battery life. According to ScienceABC, this technical myth is likely left over from nickel-based batteries.

If nickel-based batteries are not completely discharged before recharging, they begin to “remember” that a full charge cycle is less than their actual capacity. Shorter charge cycles cause the battery to lose capacity over time as it does not remember correctly.

However, most modern electronic devices use lithium-ion batteries, and lithium batteries do not have this problem. Lithium-ion batteries should not be completely discharged as this may damage them. Instead, lithium-ion batteries rely on charge cycles, each of which is equivalent to a full charge. So if you charge your phone from 50% to full, that’s only half the cycle. If you want to be strategic about your charging process, ScienceABC recommends that you recharge your phone when the battery life is around 20%.

Myth 8: The more megapixels, the better the photos

It is often assumed that more megapixels is synonymous with better photo quality. Many smartphone manufacturers have turned this into a marketing ploy. As Digital Trends explains, megapixels are only part of the photo quality equation.

In addition to megapixels, sensor size, image processing power and many other characteristics are very important for a camera. More megapixels is not bad, as long as your phone supports the infrastructure required to use them. Digital Trends claims that megapixels are probably the ceiling for phone cameras.