McDonaldization in Modern Culture

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Today’s society and culture is becoming more and more McDonaldized. This paper will illustrate what the process of McDonaldization is. In addition, this paper will show how today’s society has adapted to this process along with using the theories from Max Weber.

The McDonaldization theory defines the process of which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world (Ritzer 1). Within McDonaldization there are five different concepts embedded into this theory, which are efficiency, calculability, predictability, control and lastly irrationality of rationality. These concepts are not just used in fast-food restaurants, but are becoming more popular with in malls, health care, religion, and even education (Aldredge, Lectures on McDonaldization of Society).

Efficiency is the optimum method for getting from one point to another (Ritzer 13). By controlling a method or process this also allows a business to become more efficient. Henry Ford found that assembly lines are a way to control how much one can do and get the job done faster (Ritzer 32). Streamlining happens when a business or society cuts out the unimportant to make something more simplistic. When one simplifies the process this makes the employee go even faster or makes the customer choose what they want even faster.

The second step in McDonaldization is calculability. Calculability is the importance of numbers on the sold products (Ritzer 79). Calculability makes it easier to determine efficiency by making steps that can be clocked and ensuring one can do a step at a faster rate (Ritzer 79). The three basic elements one would will find in calculability are replacing qua...

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...ontinue down the path off McDonaldization, our society will be walking robots living about each other.

In conclusion, McDonaldization is a process that today’s society has consumed and adapted as a norm. Blinded by efficiency, calculability, control, predictability and the irrationality of rationality, consumers and employers play into the theories of McDonaldization. As seen, McDonaldization is not just in fast food establishments. One can see this theory played out in shopping malls, health care, dating sites and casinos.

Bibliography

Aldredge, Marcus. Culture Lecture Amy Schumaker. 19 11 2009.

Aldredge, Marcus. Lectures on McDonaldization of Society Amy Schumaker. 29 9 2009.

Ritzer, George. The McDonalization of Society. 5th. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2008.

Tischler, Henery L. Introduction to Sociology. 9th. Belmont: Thomson-Wadsworth, 2007.

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