Page 70 - The Disneyization of Society

HYBRID CONSUMPTION

Precursors of Hybrid Consumption
61
Hybrid consumption is not new: what is new is the systematic way in which
different forms of consumption are being tied together with the goal of turning
places into destinations where visitors will stay longer. Amusement parks have
always had cafes and restaurants; museums have always sold a few souvenirs; and
hotels have invariably had restaurants. What is also new is the sheer variety of
forms of consumption that are being brought together to create new hybrid forms
and formats.
Over the last century it is possible to detect a number of contexts for hybrid
consumption. The department store is an obvious candidate. It brought together under
one roof different types of goods and services (notably restaurants, tea rooms) that
previously had been (and which often still are) located in different shops. Shopping
arcades operated with the same underlying principles but were somewhat less inte-
grated than the department store. As with the larger and more lavishly themed malls,
department stores and arcades could often produce a sense of awe at the spectacular
nature of the locations and the sheer plenitude of goods and services on offer. 11
The supermarket and its various extensions into hypermarkets and beyond can
also be seen as an early form of hybrid consumption. The supermarket has grad-
ually incorporated more and more forms of retailing under its roof, as meat,
vegetables and fruit, and alcohol – formerly the province of specialist shops – were
gradually included. Since then, a vast array of goods have slowly been included
and today form key areas of profitability: clothing, recorded music, do-it-yourself
and gardening equipment, electrical products, pharmaceuticals, and so on, as well
as coffee shops, restaurants and other services. Hybrid consumption is therefore
an extension of a trend that has been underway for decades.
The Disney theme parks may even have influenced many of the developments
to be discussed below by virtue of their successful policy of bringing together
different forms of consumption. For example, one of the Ghermezian brothers
who own and operate the company that was responsible for the design of West
Edmonton Mall, one of the most noted sites of hybrid consumption, was appar-
ently very influenced by the Disney theme parks. 12 It seems likely that hybrid
consumption is in part a case of structural Disneyization but also of transferred
Disneyization.

The Diffusion of Hybrid Consumption

In this section, a variety of ways and contexts in which hybrid consumption
occurs nowadays will be outlined. Initially, some major combinations of consumption
forms will be concentrated upon.