It in itself is not a bad thing.It's what riders .companies and other aspects of flatland will do with it is what will be a good or bad thing. In my opinion i enjoy that more riders are utilizing tricks that are usually done by street riders,and the option of different parts, but we as a whole must understand no matter what we're still riding flatland no matter what style we do it in.

Most street riders don't know that the bunnyhop tailwhip (whopper) was a flatland trick and the concept of just doing a bunnyhop tailwhip was totally foreign to them until is showed up in flatland, then started getting taken to the street.

But, if you watch street videos, you will see that some of the most respected street riders have a phenomenal level of flatland skill and use it on the street.  Undertaker on a spine anyone?

The street influence on flatland isn't new and should always be used to push flat even further - as far as we possibly can.  The use of the bunnyhop as a transition from front wheel to backwheel and keep the tricks smooth and clean is long overdue to be fully exploited and will continue to progress.

But, flatland never stays still so there will be more influences and some will hate and others will just keep rolling with whatever comes.

Edit: I did mean in general!
So I Think you hit a couple of good points their Jm!

since flat isnt the most popular part of bmx i think its a positive thing that more flat guys are doing some street moves. to me it may bring more bmx street/park riders in to the world of flat. i see alot of street kids doing more flat moves like whiplashes/hang five variations rolaids out of ramps. this to me is good for flat. im old at 37 lol and we did it all on one bike. sure flat wasnt as tech back then but we could session and then hit jumps/hops and wallrides on the way home. its all bmx to me so its enjoyable. look at frank macchio's edits. great street/tech guyand integrates his street moves with his flat sessions. i had the opportunity to ride with him a few times and to me thats the future of flat. im sure many wont agree but to each his own,just ride 

some years ago when chase came up with his brakeless concept, i remember riders had the same questions in their minds : is it  good or is it bad for flatland ? most people thought it would have flatland spinning in a smaller  circle because taking off brakes would deprive them of the added options brakes allowed.
 
this is a question that often comes up when something new is out there. Fear is the most common usual human reaction to the unknown.

but i think anything new is good when it comes to flatland, because flatland is all about creativity, and creativity feeds on new fresh ideas.

so i think it's good, to answer the question asked here.

"it's FREEsty-"

100 ton anvil falls from the sky, smashes tod into pancake, comes out wheezing like an accordion.

lmao... great visual.

Not sure about whether it's worth it or not to look too deep into it. I kinda figure the setups at any phase in flatland evolution are just reflective of where the tricks are at at any given time. Everyone is brakeless and rolling nowadays, and a lot of the focus is on forward rolling tricks and hop-whip stuff that are helped by added leverage (that you get from taller, wider bars). At the same time, when everyone was doing tech Andrew Faris style barflip switches, we were all running narrow bars with zero sweep so that the bars felt the same forwards or backwards (in theory at least) on frames with ultra steep head angles. It all just changes with the times. Also, the market for street parts is huge, and you're more likely to be able to find replacement 2-piece bars in your local shop for cheap then you are to find some flat specific bars from some Euro or Japanese company that will likely cost 3-4 times more.
Having a predefined concept of what flatland is supposed to be will only lead you to becoming one of those old dudes on Global posting up their bitterness because they feel like flat passed them by. Just accept that it's always going to change and evolve, and enjoy it for what it is at any given time.

It's all about balance, having a bike that's a bit longer and stronger yet able to handle the more technical side of flat is a good thing, I think. I personally never enjoyed riding a KGB or the flimsy "new school" flatland frame of the mid 2000s.  I still don't feel like I really benefited much from the extra room on the KGB I rode for jump through switches and cross-footed tricks much more than I would a double diamond frame with a moderately low top tube.  As well, with well built double diamond frames I can count on not breaking them in under 8 months.

In general,as long as the minority of riders keep putting thought and work into expanding their riding then I don't think any sort of mainstream "fad" is a bad thing. I don't really see things changing that much in riding flatland overall as long as the bikes aren't too long and hamper the ability to ride flat on them. Sometimes you see guys riding bikes that are much longer than they're used to and it really slows them down for flat, that's about the most negative thing I see.

If having a slightly longer bike sudden makes it so every expert/master rider out there can do rollbacks, manuals, 180s, etc etc then I welcome that since I think having more general basic bike control is always a plus. The originals will continue to create and rippers will continue to rip.