Limits of the McDonaldization thesis: eBayization and ascendant trends in post-industrial consumer culture

Abstract

Ritzer's McDonaldization thesis holds that McDonald's, with its efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, is a good model for the forces of modern capitalism that structure both production and consumption. This article argues that while McDonaldization represents a particular collection of forces, there also exists a rising countertrend in post-industrial societies that we call eBayization. Whereas McDonaldization produces homogeneity and predictability, eBayization provides variety, adventure, and surprise, both for better and worse. Underlying these differences in the product line and consumer experience is a difference in organizational structures wherein McDonaldization emphasizes a centrally coordinated market, while eBayization brings the freedoms and abuses of a risk society.