The distinction 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]

There has been debate in documentary studies/production about the effective use of the talking-head. While it is most common to advise avoiding too much of a person talking in medium-shot, radical traditions committed to oral history and self-expression of disenfranchised communities have advocated the use of this style.