About this exploration
This exploration is designed to allow you to understand your use of the Internet. You should take note of the following points before you start:
- You will be shown 36 statements and asked to rate from 1-7 whether you strongly agree or disagree with them.
- You will be shown one statement at a time.
- You cannot go back to change your response to a previous statement.
- At the end you will be shown your results and told how to interpret them.
This is a version of the Online Cognition Scale developed by Davis, Flett and Besser (2002) and used here with kind permission of the authors.
Few people love me other than those I know online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I feel safest when I am on the Internet
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I often keep thinking about something I experienced online well after I have logged off
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I am on the Internet, I often feel a kind of "rush" or emotional high
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
You can get to know a person better on the Internet than in person 4
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I often find it peaceful to be online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I can be myself online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I get more respect online than "in real life"
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I use the Internet more than I ought to
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
People complain that I use the Internet too much
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I never stay on longer than I had planned
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
People accept me for who I am online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
Online relationships can be more fulfilling than offline ones
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I am not online, I often think about the Internet
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I am at my best when I am online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I wish my friends and family knew how people regard me online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
The offline world is less exciting than what you can do online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
The Internet is more "real" than real life
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I am online I do not think about my responsibilities
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I cannot stop thinking about the Internet
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I am less lonely when I am online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I cannot see myself ever without the Internet for too long
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
The Internet is an important part of my life
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I feel helpless when I do not have access to the Internet
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I say or do things on the Internet that I could never do offline
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I have nothing better to do, I go online
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I find that I go online more when I have something else I am supposed to do
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I am online, I do not need to think about offline problems
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I sometimes use the Internet to procrastinate
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
When I am online, I can be carefree
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I often use the Internet to avoid doing unpleasant things
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
Using the Internet is a way to forget about the things I must do but really do not want to do
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
Even though there are times when I would like to, I cannot cut down on my use of the Internet
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
I am bothered by my inability to stop using the Internet so much
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
My use of the Internet sometimes seems beyond my control
1 = strongly disagree and 10 = strong agree
Social comfort
This exploration divides your answers into four scales – each scale represents how you have used the internet to meet certain needs. The graph converts your answers into a bar chart.
You can see from the graph below whether your score is ‘normal’ compared to the ‘average’ person, or whether it is extremely low or extremely high. If any of your individual scores are over 50, you should make a note of this and refer back to it when addressing your needs when you complete the Building a Good Life module.
Now you have completed the online cognition scale, understand more about your use of the internet and how it may affect your life, by going through our self-help module Online world.
You can print your results to keep a record if you wish.
Impulsive
This exploration divides your answers into four scales – each scale represents how you have used the internet to meet certain needs. The graph converts your answers into a bar chart.
You can see from the graph below whether your score is ‘normal’ compared to the ‘average’ person, or whether it is extremely low or extremely high. If any of your individual scores are over 50, you should make a note of this and refer back to it when addressing your needs when you complete the Building a Good Life module.
Now you have completed the online cognition scale, understand more about your use of the internet and how it may affect your life, by going through our self-help module Online world.
You can print your results to keep a record if you wish.
Distraction
This exploration divides your answers into four scales – each scale represents how you have used the internet to meet certain needs. The graph converts your answers into a bar chart.
You can see from the graph below whether your score is ‘normal’ compared to the ‘average’ person, or whether it is extremely low or extremely high. If any of your individual scores are over 50, you should make a note of this and refer back to it when addressing your needs when you complete the Building a Good Life module.
Now you have completed the online cognition scale, understand more about your use of the internet and how it may affect your life, by going through our self-help module Online world.
You can print your results to keep a record if you wish.
Lonely/depressed
This exploration divides your answers into four scales – each scale represents how you have used the internet to meet certain needs. The graph converts your answers into a bar chart.
You can see from the graph below whether your score is ‘normal’ compared to the ‘average’ person, or whether it is extremely low or extremely high. If any of your individual scores are over 50, you should make a note of this and refer back to it when addressing your needs when you complete the Building a Good Life module.
Now you have completed the online cognition scale, understand more about your use of the internet and how it may affect your life, by going through our self-help module Online world.
You can print your results to keep a record if you wish.