I CAN'T help feeling there is something more to the decision of Wetherspoons to leave all social media.

For those who missed this yesterday the pub chain announced the firm's head office and 900 pubs would be quitting all channels including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with immediate effect.

Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin explained that the move was due to the recent concerns regarding the misuse of personal data and the general bad publicity surrounding social media, including trolling. Mr Martin also pointed to the addictive nature of social media, saying people would be better off limiting their time on these platforms.

Of course, a lot of those points are hard to disagree with. I've written in Fair Point columns before about the importance of spending time away from social media, trolling, and the recent allegations with Cambridge Analytica and misuse of data.

But when I first saw the announcement I wondered if this was an attempt at 'good publicity' and a classic publicity stunt for the chain - taking advantage of the current techlash.

The chain reportedly had 100,000 Facebook followers and more than 6,000 on Instagram, which many point out aren't particularly high numbers. Mr Martin said they were going against the idea these platforms 'are vital for a successful business'.

But I suspect if the number of followers were higher, and a social media presence was essential to Wetherspoons' profit, there would be no way this decision would be made. As Mr Martin said himself "I don't believe closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever."

There could be other reason too behind this. Often pubs, rightly or wrongly, receive negative ratings and comments on social media. That has been something that has emerged that many did not even consider when social media first arrived. Brands like to control the message, so even though there were advantages promoting offers and talking directly with customers - being off them means an end to negative reviews that can be seen in the public domain.

Maybe it is me being cynical, but as some even joked, Wetherspoons will probably be hoping that the time it suggests people save from not spending time on social media, will be spent in their pubs.