Starbucks is the latest company to say it will pause advertising on “all social media platforms” and promises to have discussions internally and with media partners and civil rights organizations to stop the spread of hate speech. The company will continue to post on social media without paid promotion, it announced Sunday.
“We believe in bringing communities together, both in person and online, and we stand against hate speech,” the company said in a statement Sunday. “We believe more must be done to create welcoming and inclusive online communities, and we believe both business leaders and policy makers need to come together to affect real change.”
Starbucks is the latest major advertiser to make such an announcement amid a boycott that began with Facebook but is now hitting other social media platforms. Coca Cola on Friday also said it would pause advertising on all social media platforms globally, while Unilever is halting advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S. through Dec. 31. On Saturday, spirits giant Diageo said it will be pausing paid advertising globally on “major social media platforms” beginning in July. A Starbucks spokesman said this social media pause will not include YouTube, which is owned by Google.
