14. Ahead of Time : The Infrastructure of Amazon's Anticipatory Shipping Method [chapter]

Eva-Maria Nyckel
2021 Media Infrastructures and the Politics of Digital Time  
This text conducts a close reading of Amazon's 2013 patent for a "Method and System for Anticipatory Package Shipping" on three levels in order to investigate the patent's aspirations towards a potential hardwiring of temporality. First, through the lens of media theory, the patent is conceptualized as a medium for transporting knowledge over time itself. On a second level, the patent is framed as a logistical medium both due to its aspired effects in the logistical realm and its internal
more » ... Third, the specific form of anticipation, prediction and prophecy is investigated by leveraging Elena Esposito's understanding of (digital) prophecy with a particular focus on temporality. What if effects preceded causes and answers preceded questions? -John Durham Peters In the industry of logistics, time is perhaps the most crucial resource not to be wasted. A variety of reference parameters are dedicated to measuring time in logistical processes, with names such as lead time, shipping time, and cycle time, as well as time bucket, time fence, time to market, and time of circulation. Reducing shipping latencies, providing real-time tracking of commodities, and forecasting consumer demand are elementary to structuring temporal
doi:10.1515/9789048550753-016 fatcat:i5sa34leinbxjfauful5nyemky