Express & Star comment: Wetherspoon boss takes control again

After all, we live in an age where for plenty of people, the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have become an integral part of the daily routine.

And for businesses, the global reach afforded by social media makes it a vital tool when it comes to keeping customers informed of what is going on.

It all means that the move by JD Wetherspoon chairman and founder Tim Martin is a bold one to say the least.

There are very few companies operating away from the incessant glare of social media.

It will undoubtedly be viewed as a major risk in some quarters for a successful firm with 900 pubs to get rid of such prevalent and widely accepted forms of communication.

Yet Mr Martin has built an empire without paying much attention to conventional wisdom, so who is to say he won't be proven right?

Many people will consider his reasons behind the move to be a breath of fresh air.

He wants his managers and bar staff to focus on serving customers rather than being concerned about what hashtag is trending.

He has also hit out at 'keyboard warriors' who use social media to troll public figures.

It just shows how reliant many people have become on social media that these measures are being seen as revolutionary in some quarters.

Social media has become an unstoppable force in modern times, with too many people living their lives through it rather than stepping out of the bubble and getting involved in the real world.

The ethos behind JD Wetherspoon was always to bring conversation back to our pubs, so it is perhaps not surprising that the firm has taken this step.

As a proud Brexiteer, Mr Martin was an outspoken advocate of this country taking back control in the EU referendum.

Now he is taking back control of what people say about his business, and how it addresses the world.

Well done to JD Wetherspoon for making a move that few big businesses would dare to attempt.

It will be interesting to see how the firm does without a social media presence.