The participatory Web, also known as the realm of user-generated media and as Web 2.0, is changing the way people gather and share information online. The future of health communication and health care delivery may depend as much on these new technology developments as it does on traditional communication avenues and office visits. Internet users, especially those under age 35, turn to a diverse range of information sources online, many of which are created and maintained by their peers, not by credentialed experts.

In this presentation, Mary Madden and Susannah Fox discuss the rise of participatory medicine within the context of key internet demographics and emerging online trends.