In case you ever wondered who are reading all the blogs and being active in social media it is not the upscale American consumer, according to the latest survey findings of the American Affluence Research Center (AARC). While 65 percent of the affluent own a smart phone or a tablet (or both), the remainder have regular access to a computer. However, half of the affluent said they do not participate in any type of social media.

Among those that do participate in social media, according to the AARC, only a quarter said they use social media to receive regular communications about product and related information from a manufacturer or retailer. In other words, only 12.5 percent of the affluent said they are using social media to receive regular product information from a manufacturer or retailer.

The AARC said that the relatively low number (12.5 percent of the affluent) may be surprising, given all the statistics being circulated by various research and traffic tracking companies about the volume and growth of e-commerce, mobile devices, and the urgent emphasis to invest time and money into various forms of mobile apps and promotional activities online through proprietary sites and social media.

The AARC spring survey reveals who among the affluent own smart phones and tablets, how they are being used, and what the popular sites are. The AARC affluence research focuses on the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. households.