TheMcDonaldizationofSociety

ABOOKREVIEW BYTANJAMERUN

George Ritzer is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. His numerous works are used in undergraduate and postgraduate studies all over the world: from Princeton University to University of Ljubljana. He is considered to be the pioneer of McDonaldizationthesiswhichhepublishedinabooknamedTheMcDonaldizationofSociety: AninvestigationIntotheChangingCharacteroftheContemporarySocialLife. According tothe author,this book was written after a speech he gave in 1990, where he only touchedthesubjectbutfoundoutthatitwastheonlythingtheaudiencewantedtotalkaboutin opendiscussion.Ashegotthesamereactionfromallhisstudentsitseemedhightimetowritea book McDonaldization. ApersonmightthinkthisisabookaboutMcDonaldsorfastfood,butinfactitismuchmore.It describesthephenomenonthathasbeenhappeninginoursocietyforthelastfewdecades.The authornames it afterMcDonalds,the first chaincompanythathas managedto rationalizeand bureaucratizeitsbusinessinordertobesuccessful.Astheauthorstates,McDonaldizationisthe process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and moresectorsofAmericanSocietyaswellastherestoftheworld.(Ritzer,1992,1) This means that McDonaldization is present in our daily life and it affects not only restaurant business, butalsowork,travel,shopping,televisionetc.How?Bysuccessfullycombining four maindimensions:efficiency,calculability,predictabilityandcontrol.Efficiencyissearchingfor theoptimum,bestpossiblewaytoreachagoalwithoutwastingtimeandenergy. Fingerfood, homemadefastfoodandTVshoppingnetworksareeffectivebecausetheyallowtheconsumer thefastestandeasiestwaytocompleteatask.Calculabilityhas,accordingtoRitzer,becomethe measure of quality. Because more is better, package tours enable tourists to see the highest possiblenumberofplaces,newspaperslikeUSA Todayofferalargenumberofshort,easilyread stories(junkfoodjournalism)andschoolsconcentrateonlyongradeaverage.Predictability,the thirddimension,isalsoaveryimportantpartofpostmodernage.Themainideaisthatpeople dontwantnorexpectsurprises. TheygotoMcDonaldsandthemealwillbethesamewhether they eat in New York or Moscow. The story repeats itself with motel chain Holiday Inn, TV dinnersTheyofferapredictableworldsoapersondoesnthavetocopewithunpredictability that would be inconvenient. The last but not least is control, which is possible because of the replacement of human for nonhuman technologies. Ritzer claims that even the most robotized workeristhe sourceofunpredictabilityand mustthereforebereplaced.He alsopointsoutthe number of rules that are turning employees into zombies. Today we have drink dispensers, supermarketscannersandemployeesinuniformwhoaretaughtexactlywhattosay. Aseverygoodsociologist,Ritzergoesbackintime,lookingforthebeginnersofrationalization, their contribution and thesis. This way he analyses Weber, the classical sociologist of rationalization,HenryFord,theinventorofassemblylineandTaylorwhodevelopedaseriesof principlesdesignedtomakeworkmoreefficient.Healsopresentshundredsofexamplestowarn

and convince the reader that McDonaldization is all around him. Of course the examples are mostlytakenfrom theUSA,buttherearealsosomefromJapan,RussiaandFrance. Thebookprovidesallinformationademandingreadercouldwishfor:bibliography,notesabout quotationsandindex.Havingapreface,ninechapterswithintroductionandconclusionineach oneofthemitisaverysystematicbookasnonfictionbooksusuallyare.Itwasfirstprintedin 1992, but has had six reprints since, which means that it has become a bestseller. This is not surprising because the book is so innovative and interesting to read. Each new edition is a bit differentbecausetheauthoraddshislatest,freshestobservations. Ritzer proves to be a good scientist by combining classical sociological theories with his observations on current society. He is recognized as a brilliant sociologist and his thesis are mentionedintheworksofotherscholars. Throughthebook,Ritzerdescribesandanalysesneutrally,butintheendheshowshisconcern for the future and even offers some tips how to avoid McDonaldization in our lives. This is importantsowewillregainthepossibilitytobeinnovative,touseourimagination,talentsand knowledge.Afterallwearenotrobots,buthumanbeingswiththerighttoexperiencelifeasan adventure.

GEORGERITZER

TheMcDonaldizationofSociety:
AnInvestigationIntotheChangingChar acter of Contempor ar ySocialLife

McDonaldizationistheprocessbywhichtheprinciplesofthefastfood restaurantarecomingtodominatemoreandmoresectorsofAmerican Societyaswellastherestoftheworld. (Ritzer,1992,1)

EFFICIENCY=uinkovitost CALCULABILITY=preraunljivost PREDICTABILITY=predvidljivost CONTROL=nadzor CONTEMPORARY=sodoben