← Back to Concept Index

bricks-and-clicks

The integration and augmentation of physical (brick-and-mortar) and digital (online) consumption spaces.

1 chapter across 1 book

The McDonaldization of Society: Into the Digital Age (2019)George Ritzer

Chapter 7 The Irrationality of Rationality: Traffic Jams on Those “Happy Trails”

Chapter 7 of The McDonaldization of Society: Into the Digital Age explores the irrational consequences of rational systems, particularly focusing on how McDonaldization manifests inefficiencies, dehumanization, and homogenization in both brick-and-mortar and digital contexts. The chapter highlights the shift of McDonaldization's center from physical fast-food restaurants to digital platforms like Amazon.com, emphasizing the role of big data, prosumers, and the blending of physical and digital consumption spaces. It also discusses the need to update the McDonaldization thesis to address these digital realities while acknowledging the persistence of irrationalities within rationalized systems.