Consuming or consumed? Postdigital McDonaldization for human sustainability

A concept which took Max Weber's classic theory of the rationalisation of the West and adapted it in 1993 to fast-food restaurants seems an unlikely contender to be informing us on human and global sustainability three decades later. Yet in a postdigital society, Ritzer's primary components of McDonaldization may hold more relevance than ever. In our tribute to George Ritzer, we notice how McDonaldization sheds light on how human beings now interact with data both online and offline, as willing prosumers, within a web of artificial intelligence. In celebration of Ritzer's career, we highlight the ongoing sustainability of his McDonaldization thesis and stress its importance for building a more just and a more sustainable future.