The trend of McDonaldization in society is characterized by its progression towards an increasingly rationalization of work. The key elements of rationality as outlined by George Ritzer are “efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution of nonhuman for human technology, and control over uncertainty” (Ritzer 1983). In modern western society, the rationalization of society can be seen most evidently in the fast food industry, which led to the name McDonaldization. In the following essay, I will be exploring modern examples of this trend, the effects this trend has on the contemporary nature of work, and how McDonaldization presents itself in our own Canadian society. I believe that the most prominent example of modern McDonaldization,
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For example, if I have some news to share, I can easily type my thoughts into a little text box. The information then gets packaged into a block of code containing my words, and is then sent off to appear on the screens of millions of people. All the human labour required to share information has now been replaced with computers and the internet. These technological components are capable of sharing information at an almost instantaneous rate, to a much larger audience than ever attainable before. With a computer in almost everyone’s pocket, it’s easy to share any kind of tidbit of information. The most noticeable aspect of social media efficiency can be seen on Twitter, which limits “tweets” to 140 characters. Limiting the length of a message increases efficiency and succinctness of the information, as well as controlling the variety of content you are able to produce. The predictability of social media can be seen in that every individual has a high level of control over the content which is displayed to them. Each person can choose which blogs and accounts to follow, what websites to browse, what subreddits to subscribe to, et cetera. This control gives the …show more content…
On one hand, I believe that the increased efficiency, calculability, and technology-based production is leading us to greater technological innovations. These technological innovations could include AI, better medical treatments and procedure, which leads to better citizen health overall, and much more. However, I am also a young artist, and believe that the McDonaldization of work is killing creativity. The increased efficiency, calculability, and predictability undermines creativity in work altogether. Producing products faster, cheaper, and in larger quantity takes the uniqueness and variety out of the product created. Ritzer states that one of the main elements of rationality is predictability, and if products are predictable, then there can be no room for creative variation and improvement. The McDonaldization of society would be seen as a positive from the perspective of a Structural Functionalist, for as each aspect of society becomes more efficient, the entirety of the society will function better. While this is true in theory, we also have to be careful and consider the negative side effects that increased efficiency of production and work will create. The promotion of efficiency and predictability will lead to underappreciation of the creative arts, which will naturally exclude and undervalue creative individuals. When a society is
For example, if I have some news to share, I can easily type my thoughts into a little text box. The information then gets packaged into a block of code containing my words, and is then sent off to appear on the screens of millions of people. All the human labour required to share information has now been replaced with computers and the internet. These technological components are capable of sharing information at an almost instantaneous rate, to a much larger audience than ever attainable before. With a computer in almost everyone’s pocket, it’s easy to share any kind of tidbit of information. The most noticeable aspect of social media efficiency can be seen on Twitter, which limits “tweets” to 140 characters. Limiting the length of a message increases efficiency and succinctness of the information, as well as controlling the variety of content you are able to produce. The predictability of social media can be seen in that every individual has a high level of control over the content which is displayed to them. Each person can choose which blogs and accounts to follow, what websites to browse, what subreddits to subscribe to, et cetera. This control gives the …show more content…
On one hand, I believe that the increased efficiency, calculability, and technology-based production is leading us to greater technological innovations. These technological innovations could include AI, better medical treatments and procedure, which leads to better citizen health overall, and much more. However, I am also a young artist, and believe that the McDonaldization of work is killing creativity. The increased efficiency, calculability, and predictability undermines creativity in work altogether. Producing products faster, cheaper, and in larger quantity takes the uniqueness and variety out of the product created. Ritzer states that one of the main elements of rationality is predictability, and if products are predictable, then there can be no room for creative variation and improvement. The McDonaldization of society would be seen as a positive from the perspective of a Structural Functionalist, for as each aspect of society becomes more efficient, the entirety of the society will function better. While this is true in theory, we also have to be careful and consider the negative side effects that increased efficiency of production and work will create. The promotion of efficiency and predictability will lead to underappreciation of the creative arts, which will naturally exclude and undervalue creative individuals. When a society is