WETHERSPOON AXES ALL ITS SOCIAL MEDIA
Move is sign of rising tech backlash
PUB giant JD Wetherspoon has called time on all its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Closing them down, due to the abuse of personal details and trolling, comes amid signs of a tech backlash.
Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin also says he is concerned about the “addictive nature” of social media.
He is convinced shutting them will have no impact on the chain’s 900 outlets in Ireland and the UK.
He said: “We’re going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are vital.
“It’s increasingly obvious people spend too much time on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and struggle to control the compulsion.”
Last year Mr Martin said the internet was contributing to the death of the pub, where people used to go to socialise. And the company said it can still be contacted through its website. The chain’s stance follows growing concern about tech firms after the scandal of Facebook sharing personal data. Marmite and Dove soap giant Unilever has already threatened to pull ads from Google and Facebook if they don’t clean up their act.
Before the Brexit poll, Mr Martin gave €230,000 to Vote Leave’s campaign, which is at the centre of claims it exceeded spending limits. In 2015, a cyber attack hacked the names, email addresses, birth dates and phone numbers of nearly 700,000 customers. Last year JD Wetherspoon deleted its customer email database.