Home video that highlights the pratfalls, gaffes, violence, and comedy of regular people has long been a staple of mainstream media and of interest to television scholars as well.

The distinctions between amateurs and experts are said to be changing because of the Internet. The results of this increased access are debated: "Digital utopians have heralded the dawn of an era in which Web 2.0—distinguished by a new generation of participatory sites like MySpace.com and YouTube.com, which emphasize user-generated content, social networking and interactive sharing—ushers in the democratization of the world: more information, more perspectives, more opinions, more everything, and most of it without filters or fees."[cit]