Intranets: a semiological analysis

Abstract

The scope of this paper is to report on an interpretation of the significance and the meanings of the signage of intranet sites. Based on the theories of structuralist semiology, we examined 22 intranet sites of companies and public sector organizations, as well as six intranet construction systems. Analysis and interpretation of such sources indicates that web sites conceal a virtual segregation structure, under the guise of integration of information. The text contributes to an understanding of relationships between the fields of information technology and domination systems, with practical implications for the development of points of interaction between the fields of information science and management science.