Scotland votes for independence (on social)

It is the day. The day that an historic 300-year-old bond of union between two nations could be cut forever, in the space of 24 hours.

Scotland’s 5 million citizens are today being asked whether they would prefer to leave the United Kingdom and go it alone. The final results are expected by breakfast time on Friday morning, yet it seems social media has already decided the outcome.

Facebook has released a swathe of interesting data that suggests the ‘Yes’ campaign is leading the way.

However, the social success of the ‘Yes’ camp could be more a reflection of a better executed marketing campaign, rather than reflecting society as a whole.

On Twitter, TheySay, a leading data sentiment software organisation developed by academics from Oxford University, found that the ‘Yes’ Campaign notched up 32938 tweets, compared with the ‘No’ campaigns 8894 tweets.

TheySay has so far found two main findings. Firstly that he ‘Yes’ campaign has more positive sentiment than the ‘No’ campaign, and that the ‘Yes’ campaign dominates in terms of traffic ( 3.7 times more traffic)  so far.

Similar to brands’ social outlook, social media sites are vital tools for connecting to different audiences in different ways.

“You put something on Twitter and you reach people within the political bubble,” one Yes campaign strategist told Sky News. “With Facebook, you tap into a far bigger community.”

Social media in the modern political age, specifically regarding Scotland’s Referendum for independence, shows exactly how social captures and enraptures emotive sentiment.

The social ‘Yes’ victory could be more to do with the demographics and passion ignited in those wanting to cut ties with the UK, opposed to those citing the practicalities as a reason to remain.

As decision time looms, time will only tell whether social – as ever – was indeed one step ahead of the pack.