Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging as a form of sociotechnical experimentation and the kinds of sociotechnical futures at stake in this experimentation. For this purpose, a detailed analysis of a publicly available promotional video by a tag producer for the fashion industry, a sector widely using RFID tags, was analysed in detail. The results of the study indicated that the sociotechnical imaginary of RFID tagging gravitates around the core value of perfect sociotechnical efficiency. This demands a high degree of readiness to engage in standardization efforts, which performs a specific materialized understanding of ethics by other means. Furthermore, the analysis points to the importance of considering the spatiotemporal dimensions in which RFID tags work when reflecting on how this technology matters to society. Finally, the analysis shows a tacit effort to keep RFID technology and thus any questions of responsible innovation confined to the shop floor. However, given the spreading of the use of RFIDs, much wider-ranging considerations are called for.
Highlights
When consumers enter major retail stores in the year 2018, they are very likely to unknowingly encounter radio frequency identification (RFID) tags
1 This paper addresses the use of so-called passive RFID tags, which consist of a mini chip and an antenna
This paper identifies four key moments, which show in an exemplary manner what type of ordering work is imagined to be performed by RFID tags
Summary
When consumers enter major retail stores in the year 2018, they are very likely to unknowingly encounter radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. These tags are invisibly integrated into price tags or placed next to the labels that contain care. The tags nested in the purchased items accompany the consumers, and every reader a consumer encounters can access the unique identifier on the chip. As there is no connection to the initial database, the reader cannot access the product information; the tag identifier allows the tracking of a specific item’s movement. As more stores begin to use RFID tags, more readers will be available, and more movement profiles of things—and the people “attached” to them—will be possible
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