Globalisation: Homogeneity or Diversity Exercise

Applying concepts of McDonaldisation and Disneyfication to contemporary cultural products helps students get to grips with the concept of globalisation (particularly its cultural form, but also its economic form). These concepts also provide a relatively easy way for students to explore some of the effects of globalisation in terms of cultural homogenisation and diversity theories.

The Exercise

In small groups, using the following table as a template choose a category, such as film (or add your own) and identify any common cultural products for your age group that you think conform to the idea of McDonaldisation and/or Disneyfication.

Once you’ve done this, repeat the process – but this time identify cultural products that don’t conform to McDonaldisation and/or Disneyfication.

	Television	Music	Film	Web sites
McDonaldisation	Cartoons	Pop [bands are manufactured to appeal to certain age and gender group]	Romantic comedies [follow standard themes and developments]
Disneyfication

Teachers can use this exercise to introduce:

1. Globalising processes.
2. Globalising effects.
3. Concepts of globalisation / glocalisation.