In the contemporary society, several trends have become increasingly popular and as a result, have been integrated into our everyday lives. Additionally, people often use these terms as adjectives. Once in a while, you will hear the word “Googled” whenever a group of people is conversing. The society is a soft place and hence vulnerable to changes that result from the manner in which individuals perform specific activities. George Ritzer described the term McDonaldization by drawing insights from McDonald's fast food chains. In the book, he described McDonaldization as the process by which the concept of fast food chains has managed to dominate various societal aspects.
Use of Fast Food Chains
Indeed, the society has adopted various aspects of fast food restaurants. Multiple business models have followed the McDonalds model. Our cultural values appreciate efficiency, predictability, and quantity. It is evident that workers and consumers in the contemporary world are controlled more than ever by technology. Living in a McDonalized world brings a wide array of benefits with it. Unlike the times of yore, there has been improved efficiency in service delivery in both public and private institutions. Personally, I do take advantage of the many conveniences’ that come with living in an entirely McDonalized world. When the temperatures are extremely high, I make use the drive through to get either chicken or hamburger for lunch. Similarly, when in a hurry, I occasionally purchase take away pizza when I have something agent to attend to or when heading to school.
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Nowadays, we no longer have to visit fast food chains. The chains conveniently deliver your order at your doorstep. They are conveniently located in the malls, the suburbs, learning institutions, military bases, and airports. Fast food chains dominate many interchanges, and this has made all exits appear similar.
In the book McDonaldization of the society, George Ritzer perfectly explains the relationship between McDonaldization and the social changes in the American culture. It is not only the fast food industry that represents the process of McDonaldization. From the education sector to entertainment sector to healthcare sector to churches, it is evident that the various sectors have fully embraced the McDonalds, business model. Additionally, newspaper printing companies such as the U.S.A today, bookstores, childcare learning and a host of other industries have wholly embraced the McDonaldization process. Indeed, McDonaldization has extended its tentacles into more aspects of the society. Moreover, it is worth noting that these sectors are in no way related to the fast food business.
Besides patronizing McDonald's restaurants, I occasionally visit McDonalized places when my car requires an oil change or minor repairs. Although I would prefer to leave my car at the garage for a day for a detailed diagnostic, the convenience of getting the vital services at a McDonald garage is not easy to let pass. Just like myself, a vast majority of Americans are always on the lookout for establishments that are not also unique but also creative. Indeed, it has become tough to find businesses or institutions that have not incorporated McDonald's business model where I reside.
The advent of McDonaldization has not spared the education sector. In matters of education, McDonaldization attempts to away with the many inefficiencies of learning. Instead of teaching an in-depth and holistic love of studying that mirrors every aspect of a learner’s life, learning has been reduced to nothing more than an assembly line. McDonaldization has created a new perception of how people should live and learn. Indeed, the education sector continues to adopt shortcuts that mirror the concept of McDonaldization concept. Ideally, this concept aims to get a student from kindergarten to the twelfth grade by avoiding the numerous messiness associated with learning. While in assembly lines the raw materials are homogenized as possible, educationists tend to assume that the most crucial thing a group of children has in common is the period during which they were born.
The desire for efficiency in the education sector has also given rise to the idea that educators can be eliminated and the Khan Academy introduced instead. While Khan Academy can transmit information just like educators do, the system cannot develop leaners into useful members of the society. Treating learning as a product creates a disconnect among leaners. Students tend to view learning as nothing more than the process of earning the much-coveted diploma or degree. It merely degenerates into a situation of the end justifying means. Consequently, slow learners pay a hefty price since they are labeled as dimwits or anti academics. McDonaldization of education spends more emphasis on grades rather than the development of individuals.
My primary reasons for frequenting fast food restaurants mirror those of a vast majority of members of the public. Who can resist the temptation of being able to massive quantities of foods at an affordable price conveniently? Moreover, you can be served without having to step out of your car. Lastly, as a student, I operate on a tight schedule, and thus I have no time to purchase ingredients and prepare meals.
Conclusion
Although the concept of McDonaldization brings with it many advantages and fits perfectly well into our contemporary lives, it has some disadvantages. Besides taking up job opportunities and creating high unemployment rates, the application of the concept in the education sector can lead to the creation of robots who cannot discern facts for themselves.
