{"id":237705,"date":"2026-06-26T09:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/research-finds-people-better-understood-literal-than-figurative-cybersecurity-language\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T09:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:40:46","slug":"research-finds-people-better-understood-literal-than-figurative-cybersecurity-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/research-finds-people-better-understood-literal-than-figurative-cybersecurity-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Finds People Better Understood Literal Than Figurative Cybersecurity Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research Finds People Better Understood Literal Than Figurative Cybersecurity Language<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.digitalinformationworld.com\/2026\/06\/research-finds-people-better-understood.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-06-26 09:16:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.digitalinformationworld.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
\nBy\u00a0Flinders UniversityCyberattacks now cost the global economy trillions, yet most people still struggle to understand what actually happens when a breach occurs.Image:\u00a0freepikResearch by Associate Professor Sky Marsen, an applied linguist and Communications course director at Flinders University, and Professor Robert Biddle, a computer scientist based from Carleton University, Canada, suggests a surprising reason for this gap: the language used to explain cybersecurity may be part of the problem.In an experimental study comparing \u201cfigurative\u201d cybersecurity language (terms such as phishing, virus, or trojan) with more literal explanations, the authors found that people understood incidents significantly better when the language was clearer and less metaphorical.This challenges a widespread assumption in science communication \u2013 that metaphors help non-experts grasp complex ideas. In cybersecurity, the opposite may be true.\u201cThese terms weren\u2019t designed for the public in the first place,\u201d explains Associate Professor Marsen. \u201cThey emerged from inside hacker culture, and terms that may sound creative and playful within expert communities, are often opaque to outsiders. When they are used in public communication, they can obscure rather than clarify what\u2019s happening.\u201dGiven the rise of cybersecurity concerns, Associate Professor Marsen says it\u2019s timely to understand how non-experts understand cybersecurity words and metaphors \u2013 especially the figurative language created by computer scientists to describe cybersecurity incidents.A lack of accurate information makes cybersecurity an issue that is difficult to clearly explain to the public \u2013 and this can lead to major losses for individuals and serious reputational damage for organizations.\u201cOrganisations routinely tell customers they\u2019ve been hit by phishing or a malware attack, but if people don\u2019t fully understand what that means, they may not know how to respond or protect themselves,\u201d says Associate Professor Marsen. \u201cWorse is that unclear communication can downplay the responsibility of organisations, or leave users vulnerable.\u201dUsing a set of cyberattack stories composed with figurative words and a set composed with more literal versions, and an online survey, the study examines whether the use of metaphor and neologism clarifies or obfuscates the technical aspects of cybersecurity for non-experts.The results showed participants in the literal set scored significantly better in comprehension. However, participants made important errors in both literal and figurative versions. This underlines the need for organizations to employ language strategically and provide more effective explanations of cybersecurity situations.Associate Professor Marsen says a key takeaway from this research is that paying attention to language choices in professional communication is not just a stylistic choice but a public safety issue.The research \u2013 \u201cGrok hackspeak? Communicating cybersecurity with figurative language\u201d, by Sky Marsen and Robert Biddle \u2013 has been published by the International Journal of Business Communication. https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/23294884251329160.This post was originally published on Flinders University News and republished here with permission.Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.Read next:\u2022 85% of kids are still using social media despite ban. But we need a new measure to judge its success\u2022\u00a0Research Shows ChatGPT Improves Home Productivity but Benefits Are Not Shared Equally<\/p>\n

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