Interview 1: Megan Oliver

0:17”
Alix:
So, to begin with would you be able to tell me your age please?

Megan:
23

Alix:
23. So were you able to vote at the time of the referendum?

Megan:
Yeah

Alix:
Did you vote?

Megan:
Yeah, I voted against Brexit.

Alix:
You voted against it?

Megan:
Yep

Alix:
That’s really interesting. Um.. were you.. Um.. so. How do you think social media
influenced the outcome of the referendum?

0:36”
Megan:
With the younger generation massively, cause I was at university and everyone
thought, as us, thought Brexit wasn’t gonna happen because social media in our like
university bubble was all against Brexit so we didn’t realise that it would ever happen
at all.

Alix:
Cause there was quite a big um filter bubble going on where people just like

Megan:
Massively
Alix:
saw what they wanted to see.

0:55”
Megan:
but it’s still, it’s still the same now. So my mum is somewhere in the march but she’s
incredibly for Europe and everything like that against Brexit and you see her social
media bubble and it’s covered, she doesn’t see anything else like I don’t want Brexit
but I also see the other side of it an in her sort of social media bubble she doesn’t
see anything, like against, apart from against Brexit.

Alix:
Did you know about um Cambridge Analytica and how they were involved in
influencing the outcome?

Megan:
No. Nothing at all.

Alix:
Well

Megan:
Oo I’m going to be intrigued now aren’t I

Alix:
So um.. The Vote Leave campaign employed a company called Aggregate IQ

Megan:
Yeah

Alix:
To mine and harvest people’s data from Facebook

Megan:
Terrifying

Alix:
and uh obviously our laws weren’t big like weren’t well set-up enough to tackle it yet.

Megan:
It was before GDPR

Alix:
No exactly, it was totally before that and um they used people’s data to target their,
the Leave campaigns ads at them.

Megan:
Yeah

Alix:
So

1:51”
Megan:
Which, it makes like, it’s horrible but i’m not shocked, i’m not shocked and that’s the
worst. Like you can see the campaign, I think on both sides there was fault. I’m not
saying the For campaign was good, not saying the against campaign was good, but
there was a lot of shit that went on in the middle which I don’t think was acceptable
on either way.

Alix:
Yeah, um. How would leaving the EU affect your future?

2:08”
Megan:
Oh massively. Um I wanna be able to travel freely in Europe, I wanna be able to
travel, I wanna be able to have the job opportunities in Europe and again I don’t think
we need to. It’s better, It’s all about togetherness, I know there’s bad sides to the EU
and I’m not being, I’m not blind to that but it’s better together in every situation, we
know it.

Interview 2: Ella Price, Kate

Hoger, Rose
0:11”
Alix:
So how old were you guys, how old are you guys now?

Rose:
I was 16 when it happened and I really wanted a vote so…

Alix:
Yeah, How old are you now?
Rose:
18

Alix:
18

Rose:
No sorry 19

Alix:
19.

Kate:
I’m 18 now.

Alix:
How old are you?

Ella:
Now?

Alix:
Yeah

Ella:
18

Alix:
And so you were 16/15

Ella:
Yeah

Alix:
At the time of the vote?

Ella:
Around about there

Alix:
Ok. Um… so none of you were able to vote. How do you feel about not being given
that voice?

0:36”
R:
I was so angry. I cried on the day because I knew that for me my mum is Spanish
and so she has her Spanish passport. For me that affects my life personally and I
couldn’t even have my say on it. So.. you know…

Alix:
It’s really really bad isn’t it

0:55”
Katie: If you look at the proportions of people who voted leave or stay everyone who
voted leave was a lot older and I think just so statistics in general really show that we
should have had our say because I guarantee if we would have we would have
stayed. And I think part of it is that politics is geared towards older people, they have
men in suits who are talking using long words they don't want children to listen and
that is part of it.
01:20”
And I think we've grown up around social media and things get sensationalized
through the media and TV and social media and we know the difference between a
lie and we know the difference between you know reality and fiction and I think the
older generation don't they lived in a kind of in a world where everything is kind of
written down we're there were there's lots of different opinions very accessible to us
therefore we do we can read out what we really think compared to what's being said
and I think if we had had the opportunity to vote we would have stayed

Alix: I definitely think agree with you there you did touch upon it a lot there about
social media but how do you guys think social media influence the vote and how it
led to the winning of leave?

Katie: urr, everyone has their opinion out and it's accessible to everyone in

Rose: Which can be a bad thing you know but at the same time the vote was so
close that it shows like that we all were voicing I don't know

02:23
Ella: I just feel like social media's made it worse all the fake news fake everything
you don't really know what's real

Rose: Yeah anyone can say anything you know

Alix: With no consequences.

Do you know about how Cambridge analytica used people's data to help the leave
campaign win?

All: No
Alix: So they employed the leave campaign employed a company called aggregate
IQ to mine people's data from Facebook and they use that to provide targeted
advertising and campaign propaganda.

Rose: That's the thing it's The Propaganda so like everyone that wanted to leave
would be, was being told to leave constantly do you know what I mean like the
algorithms

Alix: It's the echo chamber

03:10”
Ella: We've been misled as a nation and I feel like now we've realised what's
happened you want to go back

Katie: Yeah that's why there's such a protest

Ella: Yeah and It's 50/50

03:18
Katie: And I bet a lot of people who here today actually voted leave and people see
what a shambles it's become and what's going to happen and I think that everyone is
just sold by the lies would being told and yeah and I do think part of it is the politics is
geared just towards older people and that's why young people don't know anything
about it and they don't because it is boring.

Rose: They feel excluded there's no way about it

03:42”
Katie: I mean everything is manipulated and I don't even believe there is a
democracy to be honest in this country.

Ella: Yeah

Katie: They’re very good at mind-control, the government and they've used it to their
advantage with what they know and I don't believe there is a democracy at all.

Alix: See you touch the upon it with your mum being a Spanish citizen for you guys
how will leaving the EU affect your future

Katie: It will affect it greatly I mean if we wanna move abroad with there are so many
opportunities especially for artists like we are.

Rose: For me like everything all businesses everything will be affected that's like
nothing that that won't be affected by leaving the European Union a big Union and
regulations I don't want to live in a country where they can make up the regulations
just willy-nilly you know

Katie: I think lots of good things have been put in place in the European Union such
as like Animal Rights something threat would be dissolved and I don't I firmly
disagree with that
04:43”
and there's lots of things that need to be reformed and A Time to Kill away it's making
a bit harder to reverse and I think that's the main reason why everyone there so
many people here it out here today.

Alix: It it's a huge turnout it's bigger than I've come to a few of them and it's the
biggest one I've ever seen

Katie: It's a ticking time bomb it's going to be harder to reverse after time goes by so
yeah

05:09”
Rose: I was just going to say I think we are having a revolution and like people are
feeling like they should say something it's not 5 years ago we weren't that bothered
but now we will want to have our voices heard.

Interview 3: Samuel and Tracy

00:05”
Alix:
Um, So begin by telling me how old you are please?

Tracy:
Oh I'm nearly 50

Alix:
Nearly 50. And how old are you.

Samuel:
Me I'm 20 now.

Alix:
You're 20 now. Ok and you were too young to vote at the time of the referendum.

Samuel:
I was. I was by 2 months too young.

Alix:
And presumably you would have voted remain?

00:23”
Samuel:
yeah yeah I would have preferred to remain at the time and now even but yeah it
was so stressful because I'm really I study Citizenship and I was really involved in
what was going on around me and the feeling that I couldn't actually get the chance
and knowing the knowledge I did it was really frustrating I couldn't get that across in
my own opinion and my voice.

Alix:
Do you think that the voting age should be lowered to 16?

00:48”
Samuel:
I think so there's a fear that people will just copy their friends but I think a lot of
young people and the generation I'm in now i've seen it for myself I feel like the more
interested in the things around them I think they're there eligible to vote at the age of
16 because they know what they're doing by then.

Alix:
How do you think social media influence this political debate?

01:13”
Samuel:
Well, I think social media influenced by reaching the audience of say my generation
or younger by funny memes or what not to grab the attention of the reader yeah.

Samuel:
By relating on their level as an older person maybe a newspaper more formal young
person it would be some sort of funny clip that they could relate to that's how they
get them

Alix:
Would you mind telling us about how once you've lived outside of the UK for a
certain amount of time and tell us a bit more about your story.

14:59:14”
Tracy:
Yeah I lived, I was living in Spain at the time of the referendum and I was already
passed the 15-year mark an um I couldn't vote. It really affected me you know it's
why I'm here i'm totally against brexit and there's millions of expats who who didn't
get to vote and it's appalling so...

Alix:
So even though you're a citizen you've got no voice to influence your democracy?

Tracy:
Not at the time and it was horrible it was absolutely horrible so no voice.

Alix:
How do you think the Brexit vote has changed how we view democracy and how we
talk about democracy?

Tracy:
It's a tricky question

Alix:
Do you think it's set a new precedent?

15:00:32”
Tracy:
I think so yeah I think I mean look at today you know I mean not everybody voted
and we're getting attacked by flags... not everybody voted and a lot of people regret
the vote so regret the way they voted so the whole thing is quite undemocratic

15:00:54”
Samuel:
Yeah I mean we weren't given the the full facts of everything and people like oh this
is the situation immigrants coming into our country our let's all vote for them to leave
they've taken everything but it's not necessarily the fact of that it's it's just a whole
load of it's just a whole load of rubbish and I think a lot of people who do come into
the as well they're people they're people of importance as well like doctors and stuff.
And it always gets left out that bit And no one ever talks about that bit as well.

Alix:
No they don't.

Interview 4: Joseph & Luke

00:14”
Alix:
So can you start by telling me how old you are?

Right guy:
I'm 19.

Left guy:
I'm 18.
Alix:
So you weren't able to vote at the time of the referendum?

Right guy:
No that's why, um, hence the sign really.

Alix:
What's the sign: may give us the final say.

Right guy:
cause you know we didn't have a say in the first place so.

Alix:
That's exactly what we're doing this document about with interviewing 16 to 21 year
olds about how they feel about not having a vote. Do you think that they should have
lowered the voting age at the time?

00:37”
Right guy:
Definitely, definitely they do it for the Scottish referendum and yet they didn't do it for
the brexit referendum so definitely yeah they definitely should.

Alix:
If you were able to vote what would you have voted?

Right guy: Remain

Left guy: Remain

Alix:
Good call
Left guy:
would have been a bit awkward if we'd have said leave. Do you know what I mean.

Alix:
How do you think social media influence the political debate around brexit.

01:01”
Left guy:
Oh big time. Like it completely drove the conversation so what you saw on social
media was the information you had and based your like your vote on, cause people
don't really watch the news as much anymore they get their information from what
their friends share. And when you've got things like you know Russian intervention
not only in things like you know brexit and the US elections that, foreign powers
having that much of a sway on how people think it makes it a bit illegitimate in my
opinion so yeah.

Alix:
How about you?

Right gut:
Yeah the same thing really like it completely influence the election.

Alix:
Do you guys know about how Cambridge analytica teamed up with the leave
campaign?

Left guy:
yeah, I don't know the details but I know of it.

Right guy:
They stole our data essentially.

Alix:
Pretty much Cambridge analytica employed a company called aggregate IQ and
they mine d people's Facebook data and software amalgamated the data so they
could predict users' behaviour and the leave campaign used this to micro target the
undecided and ensure that they would vote leave pretty much.

Left guy:
So essentially through spreading false news I'm guessing.

Alix:
Exactly but because our social media laws aren't what they are now and it was
before the data protection act in the EU/Uk, UK and EU Law had no way of like
prosecuting the leave campaign.

02:22”
Left guy:
I swear that's the interesting part about brexit and with pretty much everything that's
going on in 2016 and like creating such a stir around all of these topics like how
social media is used how information is spread like it's not just a single issue thing
it's not just about leaving the EU.

Alix:
The same companies help the trump campaign to win in America which is pretty mad
when you think about it. So how would leaving the EU effect both of your futures?

Right guy:
Well I wanted to go to university in Europe and obviously little fact that will make a lot
harder to get a Visa and just travelling in general like I've always wanted to go round
your up and just travel and now like they're saying you have to get a Visa just to go
to France you know.

Left guy:
Well even the fact that stuff’s going to get more expensive because it's going to be
tariffed if we leave and well yeah that's just not good in general I mean inflation just
isn't good end of really yeah.

Alix:
How do you feel about the fact that we are Stockpiling medicines and food?

Right guy:
That's kind of screwed up isn't it having to stockpile medicines just isn't good. The
NHS is already in a dire situation like if you have to stockpile.

03:21”
Left guy:
We're going to have to start buying American drugs at American prices only because
we won't be protected by the EU on that yeah.

Alix:
All of our laws are going to revert back to the laws that we had before we joined the
EU so that's fun.

Left guy:
Good times

Interview 5: 2 glitter blondes

15:08:54”
Alix:
I just like to start by asking how old you both are?

Right girl:
18

Left girl:
I'm 17

Alix:
So you weren't able to vote at the time of the referendum?
Right girl:
Yeah that's correct

Alix:
Obviously you wanted to vote you devoted to stay in

Right Girl:
Definitely

Left girl:
Yeah

Alix:
Do you think that the voting age should be lowered

Right girl:
Definitely

Alix:
to 16?

Right girl:
yes

Alix:
Ok

Left girl:
no, but

Right girl:
Oh yeah why?

Alix:
Yeah why do you think that then?

15:09:14”
Right girl:
Alright ok well mainly because I think that young people are really disenfranchised
from political scene anyway and I think a really good way to make them engaged
and get them involved is to lower the voting age particularly if you involve education
maybe compulsory education in schools then people are automatically you have to
grow up having an understanding of what's going on basically.

Alix:
And how do you think social media influenced this political debate?

15:09:46”
Left girl:
I think there was a lot of fake news out there. I mean personally there was a lot of my
friends are posting things who all thought brexit should happen and there were lots
of them that posted stuff and then there were loads of other articles that just
disproved everything they were saying which caused a lot of confusion personally I
didn't know what was true and what to believe. I felt like it was quite difficult to get an
actual understanding for what you should have, for what you should have listened to.
My grandma, for example, voted for brexit not really understanding what was going
on at all so yeah I don't.

Alix:
We're living in a post truth era.

Left girl:
yeah

15:10:23”
Right girl:
Definitely. But also I think social media itself can persuade you how to think if it can
get an idea of how you think politically through what you click on through algorithms
etc it can then feed you things which will encourage you one way as was revealed I
think by cambridge analytica but I haven't really been that much in touch with that.

Alix:
Yeah that's right what you're saying. How will leaving the EU effect you personal
futures?

Right girl:
Oh well personally I won't be able to go live and work in the EU which is a big shame
but also I think it will have really bad economic impact it's just really really Narrows
down opportunities for me in the future and I think the country will be much much
weaker without being within an alliance which is like going to be really dangerous
considering there's a lot of up-and-coming may be potential, globally it'll be really
unfortunate if we're completely alone it will be so weak.

15:11:26”
Left girl:
I think with cultures as well the EU is filled with loads of different cultures and we
won't get to experience that as easily we won't be able to work with other people
from other cultures I think it just completely breaks down sort of a global community
it makes is very individual which I think promotes conflict and just a lot of
disagreement really learning languages and stuff it won't be as useful almost
because you won't be able to go to talk to other people from other countries, so I
just...

Right girls:
Symbolically it's quite tragic

Alix:
Definitely. Sort of taking a positive spin on it how do you think that the brexit Debate
has maybe reignited the sort of political spirit in youth do you think it's really engaged
them?

15:12:07”
Left girl:
Yes definitely I think that and the climate change stuff that's going on at the moment
personally I think obviously I've gotten a bit older as the brexit stuff has gone on and
become more aware of stuff going on around us but I find that a lot of people I know
who wouldn't really care generally a lot of people who do think brexit should happen
but the fact that it's brought up debate people that are actually arguing about it
people are actually saying no I think this because of this and they're doing the
research they are going out there and they are learning about what's going on in our
world the learning about how we make decisions they're not just kind of going I go
for this because my dad does thinks this so I just listen to him.

Right girl:
I agree but I think I think young people are a bit more apathetic than that generally I
think people are happy to have conversations in their friendship groups but still aren't
as engaged as they should be generally but also all our friends are quite politically
opinionated anyway I'm not sure how to recall that is but.

Left girl:
It does depend because I find that there are some people that I know who I disagree
with very much politically especially about brexit and had a huge argument with them
and I would never have spoken to them about politics ever if brexit hadn't have
happened yeah if it wasn't for brexit.

Alix:
If, if it wasn't for this discussion. That's interesting.

Interview 6. Long Hair Guy and

Short Hair Girl’s Interview
3’’
Alix
So if we start off, can you tell me how old are?

Right Girl
Err… I’m 18 and you

Left Boy
I’m 20 so…

8’’
Alix
Yeah and neither of you got to vote in the referendum?

Left Boy
No, I was 17. At the time so…

Right Girl
I was still 16

16’’
Alix
Erm… so… Obviously you wanted to remain…

Right Girl
Sure.

Alix
… How do you feel about not getting the chance to get your voice heard?

Right Girl
Well it’s really frustrating.

Left Guy
It makes me very worried about my future y’know, whether I’m living here or outside
of the country. I mean it’s harder to do that now.

Right Girl.
It’s also appalling that the leave campaign were able to get away with erm… obvious
lies.

Left Guy
Even to now, it’s ridiculous.

Right Girl
And legal funding and all of it erm… Yeah. I think its atrocious.
46’’
Alix
Can you tell me a bit more about er what you know about how the leave campaign
Used people’s data? Facebook data?

Right Girl
I know that they would target people who were um marginal thinking about, thinking
about leaving, leaving or remaining and so on and they would…

Interval where old lady asks interviewee a question

1’ 27’’
Alix
Erm so how do you think social media influenced this political debate?

Right Girl
Yeah I think err the way that social media algorithms work really enforced people’s
ideas that they already had and created what they call echo chambers. I think it. Is a
terrible way to have a democracy.

Left Guy
It is though. Cos certain stuff gets locked in this publicity of y’know just being so
outrageous, everybody’s aware of it and sometimes that attracts the wrong kind of
attention which means stuff like that y’know succeeds although nobody expects it.

2’
Alix
How will leaving the EU affect your futures?

Left Guy
Terribly so I hope we don’t because it’ll be terrible Y’know.

Right Girl
My grandparents live in France, I have lived in Italy, I travel to Estonia, I’m full
European. Erm I plan to study abroad and all of it’s under threat and to be honest I
don’t wanna live in a country where borders are more important than people.

Alix
Definitely. You’re a European citizen and you don’t want that taken away from you.

Right Girl
Not really, no.

Alix
I totally agree. Thank you both so much for your time.
2’ 35’’

Interview 7. 2 girls and a guy

on left.
3’’
Alix
So can I start off by asking how old you all are?

Right girl
21.

Centre girl
Im 20.

Left guy
21 as well yeah.

Alix
Were you guys eligible to vote at the time of the referendum?

Left Guy
Oh yeah

Centre Girl
I wasn’t because I didn’t have a British citizenship at the time

Alix
Oh okay, interesting. Erm, can I ask which way you voted?

Right Girl
I voted Remain

Left Guy
Solid Remain yeah.

Centre Girl
I would have voted Remain.

Left Guy
But you’re a traitor
25’’
Alix
So erm, How do you think social media has influenced this political debate?

Right Girl
Quite toxically. Erm. Yeah.

Centre Girl
I think the issue of advertising on Facebook and sort of all of these adds who
sometimes have a very obscure provenience, it’s been very poisoning.

Right Girl
Yeah I think it’s had a much bigger influence than we’ve even realised which is the
scariest thing.

Centre Girl
Definitely

Left Guy
And the only way for us to fight back is memes about Brexit so like, you’re trapped.

Centre Girl
I think it’s all the algorithms. All these Facebook algorithms stuff meant that there’s
not actually been any proper debate. People just get sucked down into their own
views and there’s no actual stage.

Alix
Definitely. Erm, Did you know about how err, Cambridge Analytica and the Leave
campaign like came together to use people’s data?

Centre Girl
I’ve heard of it.

1’7’’
Alix
So do you wanna know a little bit more? It’s probably everything you know already.
They’ve employed a company called Aggregate IQ who are based in Canada And
they mined people’s Facebook Data of anything from like quizzes they took to what
kind of things they shared to what kind of things they’ve liked what kind of pages
they followed. They took all of that and they could erm. Their algorithms could predict
people’s behaviour and so they teamed up with the Leave campaign to like err, micro
target ads at people and to try and erm, sway the undecided.

Collective
Yeah

1’50’’
Alix
So, erm, How would leaving the EU affect your futures?

Right Girl
Quite a lot. So we’re students in European politics and languages. Hannah here is
half French.

2’
Centre Girl
My sister doesn’t have a British Citizenship yet and our dad lives in the UK and we’re
not quite sure if there’s a no deal Brexit, She’s a teenager, she’s not like an adult,
and we’re not quite sure if she’ll be able to see him as regularly or whether they
might… immediately after Brexit whether it might be more difficult for her to come to
the country

Left Guy
It sucks, isn’t it?

Right Girl
Yeah and like we speak French and German and its like, well, (Inaudible) We don’t
know yet.

Left Guy
Having just done, all of us, Erasmus as well, in someway or another we’ve all been
on a year abroad and it’s like how easy is that gonna be after that? Fuck knows.

Alix
That’s some really great information you guys have given us. Thank you so much for
taking part….
2’44’’