Eat, Play, Shop:
The Disneyization of Adventure
Simon Beames
The University of Edinburgh
Background / Rationale
McDonald’s
Outdoor Adventure
Education
Loynes
Ritzer
Adventure
cathedrals
Bryman
Disneyization
“the process by which the principles of the
Disney theme parks are coming to dominate
more and more parts of American society and the
rest of the world” (Bryman, 2004, p. 1)
Different from Disneyification, which is the
rendering of historical events and tales into
trivialised, ‘sentimentalised’, and sanitised
products. (p. 5)
Research questions
To what degree are features of Bryman’s
Disneyization framework present in Scotland’s
adventure recreation sector?
How might this framework be useful for
researchers, practitioners, and business
managers interested in outdoor adventure
recreation / education / tourism?
Pre-disneyization literature
Ritzer’s McDonaldization of Society (1993)
Efficiency
Calculability
Predictability
Control
Replacement of human labour with technology
Loynes’ Adventure in a Bun (1998)
“Disneyization takes up where McDonaldization
leaves off” (Bryman, 2004, p. 4)
Four features
Disneyization may have elements of
McDonaldization, but it comprises its own distinct
features:
1.Theming
2.Hybrid consumption
3.Merchandising
4.Performative labour
A preliminary investigation
Two indoor adventure centres:
Ratho (climbing, aerial course)
Snozone (skiing, snowboarding)
Principal data gathered from websites
Findings presented by theme
Theming
•
•
“the application of a narrative to institutions and
locations” (Bryman, 2004, p. 15)
“we live in an experience economy in which
consumers seek out services that will be provided in
an entertaining way and will result in a memorable
experience” (p. 16)
Ratho: Belay café, Rock-tots nursery
Snozone: Sno-bar!
Hybrid consumption
•
Different forms of consumption become interlocked, blurred, and increasingly difficult to
distinguish (Bryman, 2004, pp. 57-58)
Ratho: bouldering, climbing, abseiling, aerial course,
café, gear store (Tiso), gym, spa, and ceramic centre
Snozone: part of larger Xscape complex featuring10
retail stores, 15 restaurants / cafés, cinemas, ‘fan
drop’, and mini-golf. People can ‘Play, eat, and shop
under 1 roof’ (Xscape, 2011).
Merchandising
•
“the promotion of goods... bearing copyright
images and logos... a mechanism for leveraging
additional uses and value out of existing, wellknown images” (Bryman, 2004, p. 79)
Snozone’s Snoshop sells apparel and offers
‘everything you need to look even better on the
slopes!’ (Snozone, 2011, para 3).
Ratho has a Tiso outlet -- very much climbingfocused
Performative labour
...refer to employment situations in which the
worker conveys positive emotions (Bryman, 2004, p.
104)
turning work into a “theatrical performance in
which the workplace is construed as similar to
a stage” (p. 103)
Summary of initial findings
•
What evidence of Disneyization exists?
Theming: moderate indicators
Hybrid consumption: strong indicators
Merchandising: few indicators
Performative labour: few overt indicators
One unexpected finding
One phenomenon that both adventures centres
have in common:
Invitations to be connected to their social
networks
RSS feeds, Twitter, and Facebook enable
individual consumers to remain aware of
further opportunities to engage with the
adventure centre and, almost inevitably, spend
more money.
So what?
Academic exercise, pub chat, or something in
between?
Is Disneyization negative? Perhaps it can be a
‘good thing’.
Maybe there is nothing wrong with consumption
that ‘can provide comfort, pleasure, self-esteem,
escape and decontrol’ (Warde, 2002, p. 17)
Four main critiques: distortion of history and
place, manipulation of children, consumers,
workers
Implications
For practice
May help people /organisations consider ways
in which they want to more deliberately adopt or
resist elements of Disneyization
Outdoor educators may view Disneyization very
differently from those in recreation and/or
tourism
For research
Develop a larger, more systematised
methodology for data collection and analysis
Develop theoretical connections with literature
on recreation, leisure, and consumption
The big question?
How are members of the
public being advantaged and
disadvantaged by these
transforming social
arrangements?
Eat, play, shop:
How Disneyized is your adventure?
References
Bryman, A. (1999). The Disneyization of society. The Sociological Review, 47,
25–47.
Bryman, A. (2004). The Disneyization of society. London: Sage.
Loynes, C. (1998). Adventure in a bun. Journal of Experiential Education,
21(1), 35-39.
Ratho. (2011). Things to do. Retrieved from http://www.eicaratho.com/content/things-to-do-/2423/
Ritzer, G. (1993). The McDonaldization of society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine
Forge Press.
Snoshop. (2011). Snoshop. Retrieved from http://www.snoshopuk.com/
Snozone. (2011). Sno-bar. Retrieved from
http://www.snozoneuk.com/v/scotland/activities/sno-bar
Warde, A. (2002). Changing conceptions of consumption. In A. Anderson, K.
Meethan, & S. Miles (Eds), The Changing Consumer (pp. 10-24.). London:
Routledge.
Xscape. (2011). Home. http://xscape.co.uk/braehead