NFL star Larry Johnson was released by the Kansas City Chiefs after questioning his coach and posting gay slurs for all the world to see. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was criticized for pulling out a big knife in a video that was posted as a "thank you" to constituents for suggesting ways to cut the state budget.

Those are but two of the recent controversies that social networking helped ignite — and far from the last in an era when fans and gawkers are just waiting for sports stars, celebrities and politicians to say something embarrassing or naughty. New technology makes it that much easier for stars to do that.

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"Modern athletes are highly trained on how to handle the local beat reporter, but the ability to speak in real-time in a personal-yet-public space is something that they are clearly learning how to navigate as they go," says Aaron Smith, a research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "The norms of what is acceptable in those settings is clearly evolving."

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