Citizens' comments on the Facebook pages of British newspapers and political campaigns during Brexit

What is it about?

Facebook was a site where citizen engaged in the debates about Brexit by leaving comments on the pages of newspapers and campaigns. Leave and Remain supporters behaved very differently. Pro-Remain users commented mainly on like-minded Facebook pages. In contrast, Leavers spread their messages on both pro-Leave and pro-Remain pages. Remainers avoided confronting the other side, more isolated in an echo chamber. Leavers, in contrast, campaigned broadly to spread their message.

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Why is it important?

Our findings show that pro-Leave citizens were the most active Facebook commenters and that their message dominated the discussions social media. This can partly explain the high visibility of their cause. Remainers were less engaged online and thus their points of view were not as present. It is important for campaigns to mobilize their supporters in a concerted way, in order to increase attention and popularity for their cause.