At last year’s Comic Con panel for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, actress and geek goddess Felicia Day was caught twittering under the table.

Felicia Day Twitters from hacksaway on Vimeo.

Despite the audience’s reaction, it’s not as dirty as it sounds. Twitter is a free micro-blogging service that allows people of all kinds - even Internet celebrities - share their thoughts in 140 characters or less. And for people like Felicia Day, it’s an important venue for free self-promotion and communication with fans. Day’s website also links to her profiles on a multitude of social networking sites, all of which are important avenues of communication with new fans, old fans, and potential fans.

But sites like Twitter host communication between ordinary folks as well. During last year’s history-making election, Twitter was constantly abuzz with communication on various political topics. Those who wished to participate in a discussion could simply append a short key word to the end or beginning of their messages, beginning with the pound sign. Highly-trafficked keyword channels were linked at the top of Twitter’s homepage, so those wishing to catch up on reactions to the day’s news could click on terms like #Acorn, #sarahpalin, #debate08, or #joesixpack. There, they could watch and participate in a worldwide, constantly-morphing exchange of ideas. I, personally, never watched a debate without making sure my browser was pointed to #debate08.

And I wasn’t the only one. Current TV, an interactive television channel backed by private investors (Al Gore among them), broadcast the presidential debates with selected Twitter commentary floating over the screen. It was a chance for Tweeters to reach an even wider audience, and for Tweets that might have otherwise been lost in the fray to get a moment in the spotlight.

Current TV exemplifies new, interactive media. The popular short-form series Target Women, which airs during infoMania on Thursday nights at 10pm, is a show that provides snarky responses to ads and fads directed towards women. Dealing with everything from jewelry advertisements to the Twilight phenomenon, Target Women is a refreshing dose of badly-needed “come ON.” In this episode, sharp-tongued host Sarah lampoons birth control commercials, particularly their manufacturer’s squeamishness to admit what the purpose of their products truly is.

This kind of media outlet gets back to the spirit of what the media is supposed to be about - the communication of ideas.

Diablo Cody, screenwriter of the smash hit Juno, has also jumped on the Twitter bandwagon to develop a rapport with her fans. Her showtime series “The United States of Tara,” scheduled to premiere on January 18th, will benefit from a unique Twitter treatment: Cody herself will be “live-tweeting” the event. In other words, fans with a computer in the TV room will be able to see Cody’s live commentary on the show as it airs.

During a time where most of Hollywood remains detached from “the little people,” Cody is taking advantage of a unique opportunity to connect with viewers. It only takes an hour of her time, but it’s a treat for anyone watching.

What does this mean for the future of entertainment? Social networking and other facets of new media certainly make it easier for celebrities to communicate with their fans, but it also works in another way. Those who wish to ascend the ladder of fame can use social networking to do it - whether they’re promoting their music, a blog, a self-published book, or a short film, ordinary folks can tap into the power of the internet without funneling through agents or other promoters. The population at large works as a giant filter, and we decide for ourselves what we want more of.

Meanwhile, this spread of information also guarantees that nothing stays secret. Publicists, who act as the liaison between a celebrity and the public, could become obsolete as the raw unadulterated truth becomes easier to obtain. Hearing someone’s spin - and someone who gets paid to make a celebrity look good, no less - isn’t very interesting.

Overall, new media is closing the gap between “ordinary” and “famous.” Whether or not this is a positive thing…well, only time will tell.

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