Globalization
• “Globalization” indicates that we are now often aware of the world as a single place,
not isolated entities.
• Examples of globalization are economic dependency and trade, global information
exchange, frequent tourism, etc.
New Consumption Culture
• In the US, after WWII, new consumption culture has arisen.
• E.g. McDonald, large shopping malls, cyber malls, superstores, discounters, casinohotels,
theme parks like Disney Land, etc.
• Today, to understand the society, study of consumption is more important than
production.
McDonaldization
• The McDonaldization is addressed by George Ritzer as one issue of modernity and
globalization.
• The McDonaldization indicates that today the fast-food restaurant such as McDonald
can be found anywhere in the world.
• Through it, a formal rationality has prevailed in the world.
• It has four dimensions in formal rationality: (1) efficiency, (2) predictability, (3) an
emphasis on quantity rather than quality, and (4) control by nonhuman technologies.
Postmodernity
• Some say that society began to acquire a nature of postmodernity since the 1980s.
• Others say that it is only “late-modernity” or “high-modernity” that intensified the
characteristics of modernity.
• The main characteristics of postmodernity can be seen in artistic representation (=
art).
• Since Renaissance, European artists tried to make better or accurate representations.
• But in the 20th century, they overthrown that ideal. They began to pursuit uniqueness
or artistic beauty.
Figure 2: Modern buildings
Figure 3: Postmodern buildings