Social networking Web sites like MySpace and YouTube have catapulted Internet phenomena like Tila Tequila and OK Go’s quirky treadmill music video into superstar material practically overnight. But SF State’s Internet-savvy filmmakers and musicians are also finding small-time fame by taking their projects online.

Take for example, SF State radio and television broadcasting major Fenecia Garner, whose series of online soap operas called “Naughty Soap Bubbles” have raked in more than 5,000 views on YouTube since their release five months ago.

Other students, like cinema major Allyson Laquian, 20, have also discovered perks of posting film projects on the Internet.

For Laquian, who describes herself as a shy yet passionate filmmaker, uploading her work online is not only convenient but also comforting because it eliminates the tension that comes with a traditional screening. “I don’t have to be by the people when they’re watching [my film, so] there’s less pressure,” Laquian said. “There’s more room for artistic expression when you’re not being viewed under a magnifying glass.”

Although Laquian is just starting out in the cinematic field, she hopes that uploading her first short film “Imagining Your [Right]” online will garner attention from a wider audience.

“Everyone has access to a computer, and because of that, I don’t have to hand them a VHS and be like, ‘Hey, here’s my film. Watch it with me,’” Laquian said. “It’s so easy to get your work out there as an artist.”

Laquian’s film was a project for an Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender filmmaking workshop in collaboration with a non-profit media arts organization called the Bay Area Video Coalition. The film can be viewed at vimeo.com, a video-centric social network site similar to YouTube that allots members 500 megabytes of storage every week and supports High-Definition video playback.

And the potential Internet stardom doesn’t stop with filmmakers and videographers.

SF State cinema majors Andrew O’Neil, Gregory Downing and alum Sam Carr make up the psychedelic, progressive-rock band Invisible Arms. According to O’Neil, the bassist and backup vocalist, the band has only been performing in small venues for about a year. But to date, the band already has nearly 900 fans on MySpace and over 8,000 song plays on their page.

“[Social networking sites] are essential to promoting our music and film projects,” O’Neil said. “We’re having trouble feeding ourselves as is—this is free marketing.”

O’Neil and Downing, both 21-years-old, agree that allowing listeners to preview the music online beforehand without charge enhances their experience when they see the band perform live.

“It’s all about networking,” O’Neil said. He hopes that with enough people taking notice, Invisible Arms may have a chance of landing with an official record label, or perhaps interest other filmmakers in collaborating with the band.

Fame in the 21st century can be just a mouse click away, and when networking sites like MySpace have more than 245 million users, the possibilities for self-exposure are endless.