Social Media

The Brexit Via Social Media: How to Keep Tabs on the Referendum Debate

Content managers in the finance industry will be pleased when June 23rd has passed!

After months of campaigning, years of speculation, decades of debate and in our case hundreds of articles, Britain will finally head to the polls on June 23 to decide on its future in the European Union (EU).

Keeping up to speed on the debate can be overwhelming if you’re not plugged into social media. My latest article – The Brexit Via Social Media: How to Keep Tabs on the Referendum Debate should help you out in the coming week!

#Brexit

The most obvious hashtag is also one of the most informative. Brexit is one of the most trending subjects in the financial markets, with many feeds providing up-to-date information on latest debates, speeches, Q&As and polls heading into the final week.

#VoteLeave

Vote Leave has gained the upper hand in recent weeks, with four polls suggesting a clear-cut win for the anti-EU campaign as of June 13. This is a great hashtag to use if you want to stay current on the whereabouts of Conservative MPs Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, which have emerged as the leading political proponents of Brexit.

#EUref

This hashtag stands for European Union referendum, and is one of the most popular. With around 450 unique tweets per hour, you can expect a lot of newsworthy items by keying in this hashtag.

#EU

While the EU hashtag can lead you to virtually any topic surrounding the 28-member European Union, it’s fair to say that it will be used almost exclusively for the Brexit vote the closer we get to June 23. You might also see some interesting analysis pieces on the future of the EU should Britain quit the bloc.

#LeaveEU

This is another popular hashtag that has gained exposure as Vote Leave has gained momentum.

#Remain

Believe it or not, the first clear-cut Remain hashtag is well down the list. Surprisingly, there’s not a lot of pro-EU action going on with this hashtag. It’s just one of easiest to use when discussing the upcoming vote.

#GBP

While not currently trending in the Brexit category, #GBP should be on your radar of must-follow hashtags. For the uninitiated, GBP refers to the British pound, which is expected to be one of the biggest casualties in the event that Britain exits the EU. In fact, we’ve already seen the pound decline sharply in recent days as investors grow jittery ahead of the vote.

#Stocks, #gold, #markets…

Any of these hashtags is likely to reveal the market’s reaction to Brexit news in the coming days. Brexit fears dominated headlines in Asia, Europe and North America at the start of the week, as investors entered into risk-off mode. Remember, fear is likely to trigger growing support for gold, the Japanese yen and other assets considered to be safe havens.

The great thing about Twitter and other social media channels is that just about anyone can get in on the debate and influence their social circles or even their community. If you’re a Brit, it’s probably very difficult to remain neutral on this all-important topic.

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit, the next week or so is going to be one chaotic ride so are you ready for The Brexit Via Social Media? Tweet me @Charli_Says