Peter Schilling, IT director at Amherst College, surveyed this year’s incoming first-year class of 438 students about their technology use. He has posted the results, in the form of the Harper’s Index, as the IT Index. For anyone wondering about the future of social networking, the numbers speak volumes. Consider:

  • Of the 438 students, the number with Facebook accounts: 432.
  • The number with iPhones: 93. The number with landline phones: 5.
  • The number who brought computers and electronic devices: 370 students registered 443 devices. The number of desktop computers: 14.
  • Third- and fourth-year students are more likely to own PCs, while first- and second-years are more likely to own Macs.
  • Percentage of applicants who applied online in 2003: 33%. Percentage who applied online last year: 89%.

Plenty more to read in his full post, but here’s one more worth noting: Amherst receives an average of 180,000 e-mails a day, of which 94% is spam.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.