••• online research

Social media, we wish we knew how to quit you

In a survey conducted in December 2014 by Ringwood, N.J., research firm Leflein Associates Inc., 92 percent of adults polled admitted to at least one digital addiction. For most people, their e-drug of choice is social media: more than one-third of adults surveyed (34 percent) confessed that they simply couldn’t control themselves when it came to their online social life.

Compared to social media, other online addictions are meager at best. Online gaming comes in at 15 percent and online shopping trails with a mere 14 percent. Of note, among those addicted to online shopping, the plurality resided on the West Coast (33 percent), nearly twice as many as from the Northeast (16 percent).

The impact of digital addiction covers a wide range of demographics. Women are nearly twice as likely to have a fixation on social networking than men, at a rate of 45 percent to 24 percent. Men are also more likely to have a problem with streaming services than women, particularly online video (13 percent versus a mere 5 percent for women). Additionally, men are more inclined to obsessively stream music than women, at a rate of 18 percent to 11 percent. Surprisingly, there’s an equal amount of addictive behavior from the genders when it comes to online shopping: 14 percent of both men and women just can’t resist those online shopping carts.

Age also appears to be a factor when it comes to digital addiction. Young Millennials ranging from 18-24 reported equally high levels of addiction to online gaming and social media (each at 28 percent). Conversely, only 8 percent of the 18-24 group considered online shopping to be a serious addiction. Addiction to online shopping also trails off among the oldest adults (55+), with a mere 10 percent reporting an online shopping addiction.

••• reputation research

U.S. takes honors as top ‘nation brand’

A report from brand consultancy Brand Finance on the world’s 100 leading “nation brands” shows that the U.S. is the world’s most valuable nation brand, with a $19.3 trillion brand value. Germany is the strongest nation brand, with a score of 75.84 out of 100. Qatar is the fastest-growing nation brand; its brand value is up 39 percent to $256 billion.

Ukraine is the fastest faller; its brand value is down 37 percent to $80 billion. The impact of conflict has been felt in Russia too; its brand value is down $90 billion. The Scottish referendum threatened “Brand Britain” but a “no” vote saw the U.K.’s nation brand value surge 20 percent to $2.8 trillion.

Brand USA’s $19.3 trillion brand value is more than three times that of second-place China, whose brand value comes in at $6.4 trillion. Though the actions of the U.S. on the international stage are frequently in question and polarization and deadlock beset domestic politics, decades as the preeminent force in finance, entertainment, democracy and technology means the U.S. should continue to top the ranking for years to come.