Spot 'Disney' in Australia

Disneyization is portrayed as a globalizing force. In other words, the principles with which it is associated are gradually spreading throughout the globe. (Disneyization of Society. Bryman, 2004.) The dimensions of Disneyization include:

Theming

Top left: Exterior of Queen Victoria Building;

The other 3 pcitures: Interior of Queen Victoria Building

Clothing institutions or objects in a narrative that is largely unrelated to the institution or object to which it is applied- Queen Victoria Building in Sydney Australia is a Romanesque themed shopping complex. It was designed by George McRae and built in 1898. Initially this building was a concert hall, city library and even the Sydney City Council once used this building. No one would except to see a Romanesque themed shopping mall in Australia or any part of the world, except in Rome. And here the Queen Victoria building stands with Roman influences on both the interior and exterior. Due to this, I feel that Queen Victoria Building is an example of theming in Australia.

Hybrid Consumption

Top: Crown Towers
Bottom: Crown Entertainment Complex

The general trend whereby the forms of consumption associated with different institutional spheres becomes interlocked with each other and increasingly difficult to distinguish- Crown Towers in Melbourne Australia is an example of hybrid consumption. Crown Towers is a luxury hotel with the normal hotel facilities (i.e. rooms, spa, and eateries). However on top of being just a hotel, the building also houses the Crown Entertainment Complex. Crown Entertainment Complex has cinemas, nightclubs, bars, shopping, indoor entertainment theme park and the renowned Crown Casino. This hotel has practically everything in one. Through this, I feel that Crown Towers is truly hybrid consumption because it has many different institutional spheres (i.e. hotel, casino, shopping and theme park) which interlock with each other; therefore we are unable to distinguish if it is a hotel, a shopping complex, a theme park or a casino.

Merchandising

The promotion and sale of goods in the form of or bearing copyright images and/or logos- In Phillip Island, Melbourne Australia, it is a nature wildlife park that is a popular attraction. The souvenirs of Phillip Island can only be found and bought there. Souvenirs such as t-shirts, key chains, stuff toys with the Phillip Island logo. You can definitely get other stuff toys from different parts of Australia but they will not have the Phillip Island logo. This is because Phillip Island has license over their logo. If we see people/tourist with souvenirs with the Phillip Island logo, it means that they have been to the place. Same with Disneyland, once we see visitors carrying a Disneyland bag, we know that they have visited Disneyland before. Therefore, I feel that Phillip Island is an example of merchandising in Australia.

Performative Labour

The growing tendency of frontline service work to be viewed as a performance- With Australia seeing a rise in tourist, the country would require more people working in the frontline sector. For example, hotel front desk officer, restaurants/cafés waitress, visitor centre information counter, and tour guide. These few job scopes all require the people to put on an act. In the sense that even if they are in a bad mood, they have to still maintain the happy and cheerful outlook. They still have to be happy to serve their customers. Just like in Disneyland, the workers there are all very cheerful and friendly despite what their mood might be- therefore, it is the same here in Australia. Through this, I feel that the people/workers are staging a performance.