Twitter: Star-Stalking on a New Level?

Over the last few months, there has been an increasing use of Twitter by those in Hollywood. Slashfilm at the beginning of March put together a list of key actors, directors, and writers who are using the service, which boasts a range of names, from J. J. Abrams to Nick Cannon. The list is only a sampling of the 140+ people that Slashfilm was aware of who used Twitter; undoubtedly the list has grown over the last few week, and will probably continue to grow as the service becomes more popular. So how exactly does Twitter fit into the scheme of relations between industry and consumers? Is it another form of tabloid? Is it a form of publicty? A way for stars and directors to connect with audiences they genuinely care about? The answer is a little of all those hypothesis.

There's no getting around the star-stalking angle of Twitter. There always have been, and always will be, people who want to know every last detail of the lives of celebrities, from what music they like to what film they are working on to their favorite fruit. With Twitter, fans can have these answers directly from the actors and directors themselves. For instance, I can find out at a glance what Stargate: Atlantis star David Hewlett thinks of the latest episodes of Battlestar Galatica or how annoyed Rumer Willis is with traffic at the moment. It is a glimpse into the inner lives of those much of America admires from afar, and I'm sure that there are those out there who frantically check Ashton Kutcher's Twitter to see what divine words he has to say today.

But for all these twitters appear to be the casual comments of actors and directors, we should never forget for a moment that these people work in Hollywood, where image is everything. Bearing that in mind, you have to wonder how many of these Twitters are monitored by press agents, or if someone in marketing has told a director to release certain information in a quick Twitter blurb. The more overt publicity uses of the micro-blogging format are just beginning to be explored; earlier this month, Lionsgate became the first studio to use Twitter to release exclusive content about an upcoming movie. Is it long before every major studio has a Twitter page? There's a good possibility. I've noticed several openings in the industry for people to work on "new media" approaches to advertising. Studios are looking to hire people are adept at internet-markeing sources, those who can track blogs and fan-pages and sites like Twitter so that they can be better understood and used. Twitter is a chance at free advertising; it would be uncharacteristic of Hollywood to ignore the mass audience it can approach.

But putting aside the cynical look at Twitter, I think there are some Tinsel Town residents who genuinely enjoy connecting with their fan base and let loose some steam through using the service. Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man, took fans on a tour of his house via Twitter earlier this week, showing off all the geeky sci-fi memoribilia he's stashed away in his house, from an Iron Man helmet to a Zorgon spaceship from Zathura. Putting together that kind of information goes beyond the off-handed posting of many of those who use Twitter and indicates that Favreau likes sharing his interests with others on the Internet. Yes, this is more of the star-stalking I talked about earlier, but while fans get an insight, directors and actors get to blow off some steam.

Is Twitter a trivial pursuit? For all intents and purposes, yes. But like so many things that seem trivial, it is quickly gaining steam and popularity. Twitter will be around for a while; it will be interesting to see how its relationship with Hollywod evolves.