This study aims to propose a research model hypothesizing why Twitter/X users share verified climate change crises information (CCCI).
The model was tested using SmartPLS 4.0 software.
Informed by protection motivation and place attachment theories, this study examines how climate change uncertainty influences verified information sharing (VIS) in agile social media environments. Drawing on survey data from 332 Twitter/X users, the findings show that self-efficacy (SEF), place attachment ties (PAT), and place identity (PID) are the strongest predictors of VIS, while response costs consistently reduces users’ willingness to share verified information. Notably, PID further emerges as a key mediating mechanism, linking both response efficacy (REF) and PAT to VIS, underscoring its central role in the sharing process. These findings suggest that addressing misinformation in fast-moving digital environments cannot be addressed through user motivation alone. Information systems designers, social media platforms, and information managers should therefore introduce robust verification mechanisms that support credible sharing and reduce the circulation of unverified content.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study may be the first to explore connection between place attachment (PA) to CCCI sharing on social media. However, as this relationship remains underexplored and the measurement of PA in this context requires further validation, these findings should be viewed as preliminary. Future studies should replicate the model across diverse social media platforms, geographical, cultural, and risk contexts to strengthen the theoretical and empirical basis of this relationship.
