Introduction

As inhabitants of a multimedia landscape1 we are increasingly being confronted with new digital roadways intended to lead us to a range of new possibilities. The well-trodden paths, the traditional routes via the old media, cannot so easily lead us to these new destinations. The question is whether all generations are able to appreciate and find these new routes, use them and use them safely – if they wish to. All citizens, including young and old, should at least be entitled to have access to this new realm of online and multimedia possibilities so that they will be able to participate more fully in societies in which these technologies and facilities are increasingly prevalent and increasingly confronting us in our everyday lives. However, ‘entitlement’ and ‘access’ do not in themselves guarantee that users can or choose to engage with them.