Social media attention relates to climate change misinformation correction through presumed media influence on others and issue salience

Abstract The rapid spread of misinformation in digital environments raises concerns about how individuals engage in corrective actions. Although social media users increasingly participate in practices such as public correction, private clarification, refutation, and fact-checking, the psychological processes associated with these behaviors remain insufficiently understood. This study examines the associations between social media attention and misinformation correction behaviors via two factors: presumed media influence on others (PMIO) and issue salience. Using survey data from 1,392 social media users and structural equation modelling, the results indicate that social media attention is positively associated with multiple forms of corrective behavior through both PMIO and issue salience. Issue salience shows a stronger and more consistent association across all forms of correction, whereas the association between PMIO and corrective behavior varies by perceived responsibility. Specifically, PMIO is associated with correction primarily among individuals with higher levels of perceived responsibility. These findings suggest that both cognitive and normative factors are linked to user-driven misinformation correction in climate change contexts. The study provides empirical evidence on how attention relates to corrective behavior and highlights individual-level variation in responses to misinformation in digital environments.