The Intranet: to intervene or not to intervene

The general atmosphere on the Intranet is convivial. Just before the summer holidays, however, there were some heated discussions. The Intranet editors were asked to intervene in an online discussion following a message on the campus blockade by pro-Palestine protestors.

The option to post reactions remained active, but a message calling for respect for the different opinions was added above the discussion. Should the Intranet be moderated?

Ingrid Spruit (communications manager) supervises the Intranet editors. A request for interventions is very rare, she says. ‘It has only occurred twice in the past two years.’  Moderation is neither required nor desired, Spruit states. ‘We trust employees to address each other with the same respect required in a professional setting. And this is really never an issue. The discussions surrounding the protests seem somewhat polarised.’

And even if there is a request to intervene, there are few options to do so, Spruit clarifies. ‘The only option available to the editors is to remove the possibility of posting reactions to a message. This is something we would rather avoid, as we aim to facilitate a dialogue. Individual posts by employees can not be removed by anyone but the author thereof. What we can do is post a message calling on everyone to show respect and restraint in the dialogue, as we did in the case of the message on the campus blockade. As for moderation, we are fortunate to have sufficient employees willing to call out colleagues who post uncalled-for replies.’

A type of social media

The Intranet is a type of social media, says Sanne Kruikemeier, professor of Digital Media & Society. ‘You can post messages and react to each other, and the focus is on interactivity between users. These are some of the characteristics of social media. Still, the Intranet differs from platforms such as Facebook and X in that access is restricted to employees.’ Kruikemeier says that, in view of the fact that the intranet is part of the working environment, there is an unwritten rule regarding professional conduct. ‘But that can occasionally go wrong.’

‘One of social media’s positive aspects is room for dialogue. It is an accessible way to enter into discussions. On platforms such as X, discussions are generally not constructive dialogues but rather heated and occasionally transgressive discussions.’ This type of interaction generally does not occur on the Intranet, says Kruikemeier. ‘But if it moves in that direction, moderation may be a good idea. Not too strictly, as you want an open dialogue to continue. At the same time, employees must feel safe on the Intranet.’

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