George Ritzer′s seminal work of critical sociology, The McDonaldization of Society, continues to stand as one of the pillars of modern day sociological thought. Building on the argument that that the fast food restaurant has become the model for the rationalization process today, this book links theory to contemporary life in a globalized world and resonates with students in a way that few other books do. Ritzer opens students’ eyes to many current issues and shows how McDonaldization’s principles apply to other settings, especially in the areas of consumption and globalization. Through vivid story-telling prose, Ritzer provides an insightful introduction to this fascinating topic and aids students′ critical development. This new edition has been fully updated to include a new focus on McDonaldization in the digital world.
Author(s): George Ritzer
Edition: Paperback
Publisher: Sage Publications
Year: 2018
Language: English
Commentary: ---PDF (Conv. From .epub)---
Pages: 280
Tags: Sociological Thought, Society, Digital Age, McDonaldization
Preface......Page 14
Chapter 1 Introduction......Page 19
Calculability......Page 20
Control......Page 21
The Advantages of McDonaldization......Page 23
A Critique of McDonaldization: The Irrationality of Rationality......Page 25
McDonald’s: Creating the “Fast-Food Factory”......Page 27
McDonald’s and Other Brick-and-Mortar Consumption Sites......Page 31
The Long Arm of McDonald’s......Page 36
McDonald’s as an American and a Global Icon......Page 40
A Look Ahead......Page 43
Chapter 2 McDonaldization Past and Present......Page 44
Thinking About the Brick-and-Mortar “Solids,” Digital “Liquids,” and the Augmented Reality of “Bricks-and-Clicks”......Page 45
Augmented Reality......Page 46
The Changing Nature of Work......Page 48
The Holocaust: The Concentration Camp and Mass-Produced Death......Page 51
Scientific Management: Finding the One Best Way......Page 53
The Assembly-Line: Turning Workers Into Robots......Page 54
Levittown: Putting Up Houses—“Boom, Boom, Boom”......Page 56
The Rise (and Fall) of Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Malls......Page 57
McDonaldization and Consumption Today......Page 59
Is “McDonaldization” Still the Best Label?......Page 60
In Consumption......Page 62
In Degree of McDonaldization......Page 63
Digital McDonaldization......Page 65
Chapter 3 Efficiency and Calculability: Consumers 1......Page 67
Efficiency: Drive-Throughs and Finger Foods......Page 69
The Fast-Food Industry: Speeding the Way From Secretion to Excretion......Page 70
Home Cooking (and Related Phenomena): “I Don’t Have Time to Cook”......Page 71
Shopping: Creating Ever More Efficient Selling Machines......Page 74
Health Care: Docs-in-a-Box......Page 75
Entertainment: Moving People (and Trash) Efficiently......Page 76
Internet Consumption Sites and Streamlining......Page 77
Uberization: It’s all About Efficiency......Page 79
Online Dating: Show Your Interest With Just a “Wink”......Page 80
Simplifying the Product......Page 81
Fast-Food Restaurants: Doing It All for Them......Page 83
Other Brick-and-Mortar Sites: Working While Consuming......Page 85
Internet Consumption Sites and the Working Consumer: Reaching Unprecedented Heights......Page 86
Emphasizing Quantity Rather Than Quality of Products......Page 88
The Fast-Food Industry: Of “Big Bites” and “Super Big Gulps”......Page 89
Higher Education: Grades and Scores......Page 91
Internet Consumption Sites: Of Big Data and the Algorithms Used to Analyze Them......Page 92
Quantification on Augmented Sites......Page 97
User-Consumable Data......Page 98
Chapter 4 Predictability and Control: Consumers 2......Page 100
Predictable Consumption Settings......Page 101
Motel Chains: “Magic Fingers” but No Norman Bates......Page 102
The Fast-Food Industry: Thank God for Those Golden Arches......Page 103
Other Brick-and-Mortar Settings: E.T. Can’t Find His Home......Page 104
Predictable Products and Processes......Page 106
Entertainment: Welcome to McMovieworld......Page 107
Brick-and-Mortar Settings: Antiseptic, Climate-Controlled, Plastic Worlds......Page 109
Online Settings: The Danger Is Rarely Physical......Page 111
The Fast-Food Industry: Get the Hell Out of There......Page 112
Other Brick-and-Mortar Settings: It’s Like Boot Camp......Page 114
Control in Online Settings: Amazon’s Increasing Power and the Drive to Limit Net Neutrality......Page 115
Controlling Conception: Even Granny Can Conceive......Page 116
Controlling Pregnancy: Choosing the Ideal Baby......Page 117
Controlling Childbirth: Birth as Pathology......Page 118
Controlling the Process of Dying: Designer Deaths......Page 121
Chapter 5 Efficiency and Calculability: McJobs and Other McDonaldized Occupations 1......Page 123
McJobs and the Dimensions of McDonaldization......Page 124
Academia: Machine-Grading and Other Efficiencies......Page 126
Medicine: On the Medical Assembly-Line......Page 127
Work Efficiency on Digital Sites: It’s Like Working in an Oven......Page 128
The Fast-Food Industry: Hustle, and a Precooked Hamburger Measures Exactly 3.875 Inches......Page 130
The Workplace: A Penny the Size of a Cart-Wheel......Page 131
Academia: Ratings and Ranking......Page 132
Sports: Nadia Comaneci Scored Exactly 79.275 Points......Page 134
Politics: There Were No Sound Bites in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate......Page 137
The Digital: The Extreme of Calculability......Page 138
Chapter 6 Predictability and Control: McJobs and Other McDonaldized Occupations 2......Page 139
The Fast-Food Industry: “Howdy, Pardner” and “Happy Trails”......Page 140
Other Brick-and-Mortar Settings: Scripted Jokes and That Disney Look......Page 142
Sports: There’s Even a McStables......Page 143
Predictability Online: Not Taking No for an Answer......Page 144
The Workplace: Do as I Say, Not as I Do......Page 146
The Fast-Food Industry: From Human to Mechanical Robots......Page 147
Health Care: Who’s Deciding Our Fate?......Page 150
Phoneheads, Online Chats, and De-Skilled Pilots: It’s Like Being in Prison......Page 151
Controlling the Process and the Product......Page 152
Food Production: Of Sea Farms and Factory Farms......Page 153
Control of Process and Products on Digital Sites: Not Really the Most Chosen......Page 155
Chapter 7 The Irrationality of Rationality: Traffic Jams on Those “Happy Trails”......Page 157
Inefficiency: Long Lines at the Checkout......Page 158
High Cost: Better Off at Home......Page 161
False Friendliness: “Hi, George” and Emojis......Page 163
Disenchantment: Where’s the Magic?......Page 165
Health and Environmental Hazards: A Day’s Calories in One Fast-Food Meal......Page 167
Homogenization: It’s No Different in Paris......Page 171
Fast-Food Restaurants: Like Eating From a Pig Trough......Page 173
Family: The Kitchen as Filling Station......Page 174
Higher Education: McLectures, McColleges, and MOOCs......Page 175
Health Care: You’re Just a Number......Page 179
Dehumanized Death: Dying Amidst Machines and Strangers......Page 181
The Irrationalities of McJobs: Just Hand the Bag Out......Page 182
Digital Sites: Dehumanization and Other Irrationalities......Page 186
Dealing With Irrationality: Of Velvet, Rubber, or Iron Cages?......Page 187
Conclusion......Page 189
Notes......Page 190
Bibliography......Page 239
Index......Page 253
About the Author......Page 281
