XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

248

The Corporatization of Leisure

RC13 Sociology of Leisure (host committee)

Language: English

The accelerated globalization of the economy since the 1980s has been accompanied by a number of changes, including the expansion of corporations and their global reach. Corporations also changed their marketing strategies as markets became saturated in industrialized countries. Advertising budgets expanded dramatically and the cumulative effect of the intense promotion of brands and products was the creation of a culture of consumerism. These changes have impacted on the leisure sector which has experienced more corporate involvement and has become increasingly commodified. The most popular leisure activities in OECD countries since 1950 have been the consumption of media, watching television and listening to the radio (2009). In recent years digital technologies have augmented and expanded the ways media is used as leisure activities: electronic mail, information search engines, social networking, streaming television and video. Mobile phone and smartphone technologies further expanded the range of activities available and accessibility. Other types of popular leisure activities –sport and travel– have also been taken over by corporations. Many sports have become professional and driven by media sales while the sports clothing sector has become a major exercise in corporate branding. Travel is another sector that has expanded significantly since the 1980s and has experienced a major transformation. There is an expanding corporate presence in this area as well: growth in airline companies, hotel chains, package-tour companies and cruise companies. This panel invites papers that explore and evaluate dimensions of the diversity of corporate activity in the leisure sector.