How the Internet and MySpace Have Changed the Face of Celebrity

On Jenna Jameson's MySpace blog, the famed adult film star has recently engaged in a public verbal sparring with her soon-to-be ex-husband. The two trade public barbs in the comment section of her blog. Fans weigh in. They take sides. And it's all out in the open for anyone who should click their way in to see.

This is the new face of celebrity. It's hard to tell if it started with the internet, reality television or the new aggressive paparazzi who happen to be waiting around every corner (and half the time, tipped off by an agent or manager). Wherever it began, it's certainly a far cry from the days of Photoplay and black and white glamour photos. Just how much has it changed? Here's a little breakdown of just how different today's celebrity culture is from the days of Hollywood past.

Your favorite celebrity is most likely just a click away.

Thanks to social networking sites such as MySpace, many celebrities have broken through the ivory tower facade that always seemed to surround the lives of celebrities. Now, many celebrities keep their fanbase up to date on their work, life, and more through websites or MySpace profiles.

Fan mail is officially passe'.

In the past, if you wanted to get in touch with a celebrity, you wrote to their agent. If you wanted an autograph, you then included a self addressed stamped envelope with your letter. Today, most celebrities converse with their fans through email, forums, blogs and, of course, those infamous MySpace comment pages. Poet Beau Sia, upset with Rosie O' Donnell's portrayal of Asians in a segment on The View, uploaded a poetic rant about the segment to YouTube. Not only was Beau Sia's video featured on YouTube, the video was also viewed by Rosie O' Donnell herself. Like many celebrities, Rosie hosts her own blog and responded to the video positively, offering an apology to the poet.

Know more than you ever really wanted to know.

These days many celebrities keep up to date blogs talking about everything from their life to their pets to their bodily functions. Gone are the days when you had to read US Magazine to find out a celebrity's favorite colors. Now, you're as likely to find out what a celebrity's favorite laxative is as well as when they like to use it.

Instant media means instant gossip.

Gossip sites such as Defamer and Gawker have made Page Six look like child's play. With a host of bloggers that constantly keep their fingers on the pulse of celebrity happenings, web surfers usually find out about births, deaths and an array of other life events as quickly as the celebrity's immediate family. Like it or not, instant media has made celebrities seem like slightly out of touch family members to the majority of the web surfing public.

Sick of watching other celebrities? Then be one.

Video sharing sites such as YouTube and MySpace have made the act of becoming a celebrity more accessible than it once was. For some, endless auditions and exhaustive resumes are needless if you can make a splash on the web. Just ask YouTube favorite, Brookers, who was offered a television contract by NBC and Carson Daly just last year.

We are a celebrity obsessed culture. More so than ever. And while perhaps the obsession with minute details of a celebrity's life is a result of our detachment from the social connections we once harbored in small town communities and large families, there are some upsides to the internet celebrity craze. No longer are celebrities seen as golden gods who seem untouchable or infallible. Not only that, but we also realize that it's not the celebrity that propels themselves to super-stardom so much as the public who endears themselves to them.

Who knows? In the near future, the super-celebrity may become obsolete. For a few well-known super-celebrities, this may be one of the best things that could happen to American media.