According to "S-Net, The Impact of Social Media," a social network study from ROI Research sponsored by Performics, 52% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree that voicing opinions on social networking sites can influence business decisions of companies/brands. The study reveals the inherent differences in why and how people use social networks among various categories.

According to a new report from Scarborough Research, The Super Green population, which accounts for 5% of all U.S. adults, are 76% more likely than the average adult to have an annual household income of $150K or greater. They are more likely to own homes valued above $500K, as well as to own second homes, and, additionally, out-pace the U.S. population when it comes to having a diverse investment portfolio.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 35% of American adults own smartphones. The survey found that 83% of U.S. adults have a cell phone of some kind, and that 42% of them own a smartphone. That translates into 35% of all adults.

According to recent Nielsen data, U.S. travelers of all ages are in the midst of the hottest travel season, visiting a variety of travel sites to research and plan their destinations. Internet users aged 18-34, "Young Road Warriors" the report says, prefer driving to their chosen destination, and are more likely to visit Ground Transportation and Maps/Travel Info sites than they are any other category of travel websites.

Business-to-business media continue to have a healthy appetite for social media tools. This year's survey, "Arketi Web Watch Media Survey2011" found that 92% of journalists have a LinkedIn account, an increase from 85% in 2009. In addition to LinkedIn, 85% of journalists are on Facebook, up from 55% in 2009, and 84% use Twitter vs. 24% in 2009.

The Trends in Social Advertising, research from the Pivot Conference in late Spring of 2011, was conducted by the Pivot team to measure the interest in and utilization of social advertising. An invitation to the online survey was extended to marketers and agency professionals via email, blogs,Twitter and Facebook. Of those businesses that responded to the survey, 60% anticipate that social advertising will be very valuable to them. Another 32% view social advertising as valuable, regardless of the level of satisfaction with past efforts.

"Affluent Consumers in a Digital World," a study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau finds the wealthiest American consumers, those in homes with at least $100,000 annual incomes, embracing digital media and its ads. According to the study, conducted for the IAB by Ipsos Mendelsohn, 98% of affluent consumers use the Internet, as compared with 79% of the general population. They spend 26.2 hours online weekly, 17.6 hours watching TV and 7.5 hours listening to the radio. The general population, on the other hand, spends about twice as much time weekly with TV and radio.

According to The Harris Poll of 2,163 adults surveyed online between June 13 and 20, 2011, 60% of drivers with cell phones use them while driving even though 91% of adults know it is unsafe to do so. This is particularly common among younger drivers with cell phones. In addition, 22% of drivers with cell phones send or read text messages while driving. However, the percentage of drivers with cell phones who use them while driving has fallen over the last two years, from 72% in 2009 to 60% now. And, the number who text while driving has fallen a …

According to a survey of US small business leaders by Opinium Research, commissioned by Hiscox, many are not using social media channels to promote their businesses and products. Only 12% of businesses described social media promotion as a must and nearly 50% of respondents aren't using social media at all.

A new study by Casale Media, based on their analysis of nearly two billion ad impressions generated during the 1Q 2011, shows that online ads appearing "above the fold" are nearly seven times more effective at generating a click through than those appearing "below the fold," and that the more times someone sees an ad the more likely they are to click through and take action.