"The Disneyization of Society"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes the term "Disneyization of Society", first used by Alan E. Bryman in a book by that title. The paper discusses an article that he first wrote in "Sociological Review" in 1999. The paper further analyzes the main ideas of both the book and the article, that the world is becoming increasingly categorized, in ways similar to the operation of Disney theme parks. The paper discusses how "themed" things are everywhere: shopping centers; hotels; restaurants; movie theaters, etc., and also theme parks. The paper proposes that as corporate marketing practices take over, Disneyization is bound to increase. The paper describes Disneyization's four categories, crowd control and surveillance, and Disneyization's overall effects, not just on American society, but on the whole world.

From the Paper:

"In Disneyization of thinking, activities, preferences, entertainment, leisure time, and culture, the four key "Disneyizing" categories, according to Bryman (1999a; 2004) are: theming; de-differentiation of consumption; merchandising; and emotional labour. These seem automatic, both to marketing and to people being targeted for marketing, so they do not think about it after some time, it just is always there, so they accept it and soon do not recognize any difference between Disneyization and non-Disneyization, within their lives every day.
In comparison, "McDonaldization", says Ritzer (2000), consist of another different four parts: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, through nonhuman technolog"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bryman, Alan. E. The Disneyization of Society. Sociological Review, 47. 25-47. 1999a. This is Bryman's first article, from which the book, Disneyization of Society grew. This is like a condensed version of the book, but with fewer arguments and specific examples. This is a good summary of what the book will say, but less interesting than book itself.---. "Theme Parks and McDonaldization." In Resisting McDonaldization. B. Smart (Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 1999b. This article compares and contrasts four points of Disneyization, theming, dedifferention, merchandising, and emotional labor, with four points of McDonaldization, efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, through nonhuman technology. It explores intersections between the two.---. (June 2004). The Disneyization of Society. New York: Sage. This is Alan Bryman's book on Disneyization of Society. It offers many details and explanations of the four categories of Disneyization, theming, dedifferention, merchandising, and emotional labor. This book also discusses surveillance; crowd control; and social implications of future worldwide Disneyization.
• "Disneyization." Wikipedia. August 22, 2005. Retrieved December 5, 2005, from: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyization.html>. This is a summary of Alan Bryman's book Disneyization of Society. This article gave special emphasis to the four categories, and to the definition of the word "Disneyization" coined by Alan Bryman.
• "The Disneyization of Society." Ingenta Connect. Retrieved December 4, 2005, from: <http://www.ingentaconnect.com>.This is also a brief summary of Bryman's book The Disneyization of Society, thesis and the main points of the book, including four key categories of Disneyization. It also gives information on where to buy the book.
• Ritzer, G. The McDonaldization of Society. Boston: Pine Forge Press, 2000. This book explores McDonaldization's components: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, through nonhuman technology, one by one and in detail. This book studies how this happened, slowly and without awareness, and how it has seeped into other corporate management, and also people's regular thinking, other consumption patterns, people's expectations of products and services, etc.
• Robinson, Matthew. The Mouse who would Rule the World! How American Criminal Justice Reflects the Themes of Disneyization. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, Vol. 10, No. 1 (2003). 69-86.This article discusses how Disneyization is effecting the American justice system, in terms of what injustices get reported on the news, and why, what people think should happen to criminals, etc. This article also mentions how justice workers (police, lawyer, judges, etc.), have become very influence by TV and mass media law and justice discussions.

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