# Self-certification: A novel method for increasing sharing discernment on social media

## TL;DR

A new method called self-certification helps reduce the spread of false information on social media by asking users to confirm their belief in a post's truth before sharing.

## Contribution

Introduces self-certification as a novel strategy to increase sharing discernment without limiting free speech.

## Key findings

- Requiring self-certification significantly reduces the sharing of false posts.
- Users who genuinely believe a post is true are not hindered from sharing it.
- The method effectively curbs misleading content spread in a simulated social media environment.

## Abstract

The proliferation of misinformation on social media platforms has given rise to growing demands for effective intervention strategies that increase sharing discernment (i.e. increase the difference in the probability of sharing true posts relative to the probability of sharing false posts). One suggested method is to encourage users to deliberate on the veracity of the information prior to sharing. However, this strategy is undermined by individuals’ propensity to share posts they acknowledge as false. In our study, across three experiments, in a simulated social media environment, participants were shown social media posts and asked whether they wished to share them and, sometimes, whether they believed the posts to be truthful. We observe that requiring users to verify their belief in a news post’s truthfulness before sharing it markedly curtails the dissemination of false information. Thus, requiring self-certification increased sharing discernment. Importantly, requiring self-certification didn’t hinder users from sharing content they genuinely believed to be true because participants were allowed to share any posts that they indicated were true. We propose self-certification as a method that substantially curbs the spread of misleading content on social media without infringing upon the principle of free speech.