Definition: McDonaldization is the process of approval , standardization and depersonalization of goods and production . The term was introduced by sociologist George Ritzer in his essay The McDonaldization of Society to describe the hyper- phenomenon rationalization of contemporary global society, inspired by the economic and productive model of the chain multinational of fast food McDonald's : it presupposes the reproducibility Universal of principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control, through the replacement of the human workforce with that of non-human technologies.
Strictly speaking, McDonaldizing means developing inexpensive restaurants conceived as assembly lines, easy to export to other places through the sale of rights of use or royalties (share in the profit).
Inspired by the work policy implemented by the company fast food McDonald's in various parts of the world, this phenomenon is linked to the concepts of globalization and Americanization : the worldwide spread of the production system of capitalist industry has generated a large amount of standardized goods and economically accessible to a growing consumer audience . At the same time we are witnessing the expansion of American ideas, customs, social models, industry and capital around the world, producing a global cultural flattening.
Like the sociologist Max Weber , Ritzer also identifies the risk of irrationality in the process of rationalization of McDonaldization: among the main effects of the phenomenon are the alienation of workers and the dehumanization of work, consumers and relationships.
Further reading: Dimensions of McDonaldization According to Ritzer, Jihad vs. McWorld / Barber
