How #CatsAgainstBrexit could’ve saved the EU

Analysing the Internet’s response to the EU referendum debate

THE GIST: #CatsAgainstBrexit has taken the Internet by storm just a few days before the EU referendum. How did the Remain camp succeed in leveraging the Internet’s mightiest weapon for an effective last minute social media campaign and “social meowvment” that actually worked?

The Internet loves cats. And today we have learned that cats could have a substantial impact on a political vote that is described by many as a defining moment in the history of Britain and Europe. Only three days before the UK’s EU referendum, #CatsAgainstBrexit started trending on Twitter.

For the past few months, I have been collecting and analysing large-scale social media data on the EU referendum to better understand the grassroots level of political campaigning — especially, because the polls have pointed in opposite directions, continuing to tell different stories about the contest. After publishing early results, I have received several media requests from the BBC, the New…