Individual Media Consumption Style, IMCS Test - the question form
Questions: 60 · 11 minutes
1. It is difficult for you to determine how useful, or conversely how harmful, certain information presented through TV, radio, the Internet, etc., is for you.
Yes
Rather yes
Difficult to answer
Rather no
No
2. You keep watching television (listening to the radio, etc.) even if you do not find anything that genuinely interests you.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
3. You switch channels if a commercial comes on while you are watching a film or a favorite program.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
4. You watch programs on several TV channels at the same time, wanting to keep up with everything that is being shown on TV.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
5. You stop watching a film (TV program, etc.) before it ends if it becomes predictable or boring.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
6. Do you feel irritated if, for reasons beyond your control, you cannot watch your favorite TV program, listen to your favorite radio station, etc.?
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
7. You criticize people who create TV or radio programs for being repetitive and lacking a sense of moderation.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to say
4 – Probably not
5 – No
8. You review the TV schedule in advance to choose the programs you are interested in.
1 - Yes
2 - Rather yes
3 - I find it difficult to answer
4 - Rather no
5 - No
9. You often have difficulties or problems when searching for information you need.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
10. You often spend more time than you planned searching for the information you need.
Yes
Probably yes
Difficult to answer
Probably no
No
11. You watch TV programs, read printed publications, etc. only on specific topics that interest you, paying no attention to all the others.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
12. I am able to find content on TV channels, on the Internet, and in books and magazines that is truly interesting and useful.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
13. You easily notice flaws or shortcomings in a TV program, TV film, etc., even if you generally like it.
Yes
Probably yes
Difficult to answer
Probably not
No
14. When you turn on the TV, you do not go through all the channels; you immediately stop on a favorite channel.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
15. Do you think about why you choose to watch a particular film, TV program, website, etc.?
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
16. When looking for information you need, you may, without noticing, get distracted by something else that is less important.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
17. You can easily gather the necessary and sufficient amount of information when searching for the answers you need.
1 – Yes
2 – Mostly yes
3 – Difficult to say
4 – Mostly no
5 – No
18. A television, computer, or radio that is constantly on is a familiar background in your daily life.
Yes
Probably yes
Difficult to answer
Probably not
No
19. When planning your everyday activities, you try to avoid excessive TV channel surfing or browsing the internet.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
20. Watching television or using the internet sometimes makes you feel tired and/or emotionally burnt out.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
21. You try to avoid watching or listening to advertisements, so as not to fill your head with unnecessary information.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
22. Information you have taken in earlier often gets stuck in your mind and makes it hard to focus on current tasks.
Yes
Rather yes
I find it difficult to answer
Rather no
No
23. You forget many of the messages that you identify as useful in the overall flow of information.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
24. You turn off all sources of information when you need to distract yourself and relax after intensive mental work.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
25. You plan in advance to watch a TV program/film or listen to a radio broadcast, specifically setting aside time for it.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
26. You are often irritated by the stupidity and vulgarity of writers of new TV shows or on-air celebrities.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
27. You often give an unfavorable appraisal of films and programs that are widely discussed.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
28. You regret the time spent watching films or TV programs if they do not contain new interesting ideas or useful thoughts.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
29. At times, you feel that in the overall flow of information from television/radio broadcasts, the Internet, etc., you might miss something very important and valuable.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
30. You use modern media (including television, radio, and the Internet) primarily as a source of entertainment.
Yes
Rather yes
I find it difficult to answer
Rather no
No
31. You try to be clearly aware of what information you need when you turn on the TV or radio, go online, etc., at a given moment.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
32. You tend to analyze the source and true purpose of any new information you encounter when watching TV channels, using internet resources, and so on.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
33. Sometimes you feel like simply "taking in" interesting messages from various sources without thinking about their actual value.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
34. If a topic interests you, you persistently seek additional information about it from multiple sources.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
35. When studying or searching for something on the Internet, you open information resources via pop-up windows.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
36. It is easy for you to find information on any problem that comes up or any topic that interests you.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
37. You often notice that modern media are less about informing people about something important and more about promoting or advertising something.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
38. You deliberately limit your information intake because you feel that too much information does not add anything for you.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
39. You use books and specialized magazines to find answers to questions that interest you.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
40. You put off doing important but uninteresting tasks in order to watch an engaging TV program or play a computer game.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
41. You turn to knowledgeable people on Internet forums and in chats when you need to quickly find valuable, hard-to-find information.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
42. You unintentionally get distracted by related information when searching for information on a clearly defined topic.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
43. After a stressful workday, you often relax while several sources of information are on at the same time (TV, radio, internet, etc.).
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
44. After viewing certain films, TV programs, websites, etc., I experience emotions and urges to act that are difficult to control.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
45. You reflect on how much information presented in the media differs from your real-life experience.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
46. My mood can change depending on the nature of media messages broadcast over the course of a day.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
47. You can, without much effort, identify the main meanings or ideas in the messages, texts, or films that come to your attention.
Yes
Probably yes
I find it difficult to answer
Probably not
No
48. You often find yourself in situations where information you have carefully gathered and studied in detail turns out to be useless.
Yes
Probably yes
I find it difficult to answer
Probably not
No
49. You are used to deciding for yourself which information should be within your attention and which should be excluded.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
50. You find it difficult to identify the pieces of information that are missing in order to solve a task.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
51. When browsing newspapers, TV channels, or websites, you do not give much thought to whether the information they provide is reliable.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
52. You stop consuming media content (films, TV programs, etc.) that disrupts your inner sense of well-being or harms your mental health.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
53. You are familiar with the feeling of anticipating enjoyment from watching entertainment content (films, talk shows, etc.).
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
54. You feel more confident communicating online (e.g., on the internet, in messaging apps, text chats) than in face-to-face communication with people.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably no
5 – No
55. You continue watching TV or listening to the radio during commercial breaks.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
56. I spend a long time thinking about and dwelling on information I have received from the media.
Yes
Rather yes
I find it difficult to answer
Rather no
No
57. You know where and how to find the information you need and consider valuable for the current problems that arise in your life.
Yes
Probably yes
I find it difficult to answer
Probably not
No
58. You will skip TV programs, films, or gaming sessions you find engaging if you have important things to do.
1 – Yes
2 – Probably yes
3 – Difficult to answer
4 – Probably not
5 – No
59. I evaluate my level of success in life based on the images and standards presented by modern media.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No
60. You often use different sources of information (television, radio, the Internet, etc.) as a way to cope with stress or improve your mood.
1 – Yes
2 – Rather yes
3 – I find it difficult to answer
4 – Rather no
5 – No