FROM MCDONALDIZATION OF THE SOCIETY TO MCDONALDIZATION OF NEWS: MC-JOURNALISM

Year 2021, Issue: Özel Sayı, 61 - 68, 31.12.2021

Gülsemin Mısırlı Zuhal Ergün Burcu Güneri

https://doi.org/10.32952/atauniiletisim.1031577

Abstract

This study emphasizes the negative consequences of the digital age on journalism within the
framework of the McDonaldization concept introduced by George Ritzer. The McDonaldization thesis
is used today to express the situations that lead to the uniformization and standardization of societies
and covers all areas where production-consumption processes are involved. Ritzer, who likens the
developing societies to a giant McDonald's restaurant, claims that the society is organized according
to similar production methods, just like the functioning of McDonald's. According to this idea, criteria
such as efficiency, effectiveness, rationality, and profitability are also society's criteria in general. This
means the sameness of lifestyles, clothing, social and cultural relations, entertainment, politics,
production, and consumption. Thus, McDonaldization covers all areas of society, not just the food
industry. This situation also shows itself in the field of journalism. As a matter of fact, in the modern
communication age, the news has become a commodity that is rapidly produced and consumed.
Therefore, the idea that employees in the McDonaldization thesis should do their job efficiently and
quickly is reflected in the news production process in the same way in journalism.
For this reason, quantity comes to the fore in the news; the number of news begins to increase rapidly,
while quality news decreases remarkably. Just as fast-cooked and fast-consumed food harms human
health, fast-produced and consumed news might cause the structure of society to deteriorate. Thus,
today's news production processes are similar to the principles of the McDonaldization process. In this
context, today's news production processes will be discussed in the focus of efficiency, predictability,
calculability, and control principles, which Ritzer discussed within the framework of McDonaldization
theory. When the relevant literature is investigated, it is noteworthy that few studies are examining the
relationship between journalism and the concept of McDonaldization. In this context, the study is vital
in dealing with the concept of McDonaldization and the relationship between journalism in detail.

Keywords

McDonaldization, Mc-Journalism, Digitalization

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