JD Wetherspoon is closing down all its social media accounts in a move that has been met with widespread scepticism.
The pub chain’s decision was reportedly in response to the trolling of some MPs, but many commentators suspected it was a publicity stunt by the chairman, Tim Martin.
The company said it was closing down the Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts for its 900 outlets.
In a statement announced in a tweet that is no longer available, Martin said: “We are going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are a vital component of a successful business. I don’t believe that closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever, and this is the overwhelming view of our pub managers.”
Martin added: “It’s becoming increasingly obvious that people spend too much time on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and struggle to control the compulsion. We will still be as vocal as ever through our Wetherspoon News magazine, as well as keeping the press updated at all times.”
Martin is said to have taken the decision following recent publicity over the use of social media to criticise MPs and others, especially those from religious or ethnic minorities.
However, the chain has failed to attract much of a following online, with just 44,000 followers on Twitter and 100,000 on Facebook. Much of its activity on social media has been devoted to fending off complaints.
Martin’s statement said customers could use the Wetherspoon website and app to contact the company, or speak to pub managers.
Media commentators predicted the move would backfire.
The chain has also been targeted by pro-Europeans for its support of Brexit – Martin was a significant backer of the Vote Leave campaign – with calls from some to boycott its pubs.
The company has often had to deal with hoax statements posted on social media. In November last year, the company was forced to refute a claim that staff had been banned from wearing Remembrance Day poppies while at work.
Many of its 900 pubs have Facebook pages with fewer than 1,000 likes, meaning that anything they post is unlikely to be seen by users in their news feed. They are, however, still a magnet for bad reviews, which Facebook displays prominently.
One pub, which has an overall star rating of 3.7, still has a review section headed “People talk about terrible service”, and both reviews on display are one-star complaints. The company’s corporate HQ location page on Facebook has also attracted one-star reviews, including one in which a customer claims her lost glasses were retrieved from a bin.
The company has confirmed that no jobs will be affected by the move.