Web 2.0: hype or happiness?

Web 2.0 has initiated a new age of Web interaction. Countless everyday activities such as seeking information, shopping, filling in forms and making appointments can be done effectively and often more cheaply on the Web. However many of the new community sites, and other Web 2.0 sites, do not promote accessibility in terms of inclusivity. They are built for, and are of most benefit to, young socially integrated people who own their own laptop and live in a world of readily available radio LAN and fast access broadband. However many older or disabled people are living on low budgets and do not have access to such things. Those for whom the Web is inaccessible for whatever reason will become increasingly excluded from mainstream life if it is not made accessible to them. This paper argues for a holistic approach to accessibly which addresses all aspects of the user's life. It tracks the impact of the advent of Web 2.0 on Web accessibility in its widest sense. It starts with a definition of accessibility, which in this context means apart from physical access, inclusion and acceptability. Through the use of case studies it examines worrying trends brought about by Web 2.0, and positive signs of improvement in accessibility, due to Web 2.0.