A PCmag.com news article makes quite a claim in its title: “Most Americans Prefer Internet to Sex.”

First the obvious. Who did they poll to reach this conclusion? I like the Internet too, perhaps more than most people, but I can state without hesitation that I do not like the Internet more than sex. That’s crazy-talk.

My second point is less obvious. Here’s the relevant portion of the article:

Would you rather give up sex or the Internet for two weeks?

For 46 percent of women and 30 percent of men, the answer is sex, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Intel.

Among women ages 18 to 34, about 49 percent opted to forgo sex for two weeks, while 52 percent of women ages 35 to 44 made the same choice. Among men ages 18 to 34, about 39 percent selected Internet time over sex.

My question is how they managed to take these figures and reach the conclusion that most Americans would give up sex. The second paragraph gives what seems to be the percentages of men and women who’d choose the Internet over sex for two weeks. Assuming an equal male/female split, the figure is 38%. So we’re to believe that 38% is most Americans?

The article’s conclusion is a lie or the author isn’t telling the whole story. Leaving out evidence that supports what she is trying to tell us would be a curious journalistic decision, indeed.