1st Edition

Tweeting Brexit Social Media and the Aftermath of the EU Referendum

By Maja Šimunjak Copyright 2022
    188 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    188 Pages 6 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Tweeting Brexit presents the most thorough examination of the role that the most political social network, Twitter, played in creating, negotiating, and challenging Brexit narratives during the process of UK’s exiting of the European Union.

    Working with multiple methods, from digital media analysis to interviews, and a wide variety of data, the book offers scrutiny of Brexit-related tweets and discourses they promote and gives voice to key actors – UK citizens, political and media actors – to explain why and how they’ve used Twitter to talk about Brexit and with what outcomes. In doing so, the author engages with, and enhances, a range of theoretical discussions central to our understanding of the role of social media in politics, from permanent campaigning on social media to social media journalism. With a reach far beyond the central Brexit case study, the book discusses new trends and practices in political communication and contextualises them with references to empirical evidence.

    The book is key reading for all students and researchers in digital media and politics, digital methods, and related areas, as well as anyone interested in developing their understanding of the role that Twitter plays in political communications.

    Chapter 1 Introduction: Tweeting politics

    Chapter 2 British political actors: #GetBrexitDone vs #PeoplesVote

    Chapter 3 The European Union: #CitizensRights

    Chapter 4 Journalists: #BrexitFacts

    Chapter 5 Citizens: #LeaveMeansLeave vs #StopBrexit

    Chapter 6 The Uncivil Argument?

    Chapter 7 Conclusions: Tweeting Brexit

    Biography

    Maja Šimunjak is Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Middlesex University London and a Leadership Fellow of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.