While social media has had a dramatic impact on all forms of entertainment, the effect on the porn industry has been especially notable.

Perhaps because of the nature of their business – and what they do for a living – porn stars have always been a larger-than-life fantasy figures to fans. Historically, they were inaccessible except for annual trade shows. And the common wisdom was that mystique helped build their star status.

Today, though, stars jostle for the most Twitter followers – regularly communicating with them and promoting their upcoming appearances and films. It's a new era for porn – so, as they walked the Red Carpet at this year's AVN Awards (adult entertainment's equivalent of the Oscars), we asked some of its biggest stars about their thoughts on the impact of social media on their careers – and the industry.

"Social media has affected the porn industry in the same way it's affected the entertainment industry in general. When we want to promote something or say something, we have access to our fans, which is really awesome. At the same time, you see more of people than the carefully sculpted PR stuff. For some that's great. For others, it's not so great."

"Social media is a great tool to market ourselves – especially as individuals. It's immediate access to our fans, so people are really receptive to that. They just like the personal interaction. I think I get more fans [because] I take the time to Tweet back. Furthermore, [it helps] sell our products."

"It's allowed us to talk to our fans more often. We're more accessible. We can let them know what's coming out faster.They always know where we are, so they can always ask us questions. I think it's good to be more accessible. … I've received some interesting presents. I've received espresso machines, very nice ones. I received a bread machine – which I utilized a lot for about a week."

"It gives me an outlet for all the random thoughts that pop into my head, so I can just write random things on Twitter. I like that."

"Social media is really crazy. It's cool to see how it grows. I think it's one of the biggest influencers in the way we advertise ourselves -- and things that are coming out. A lot of us travel and dance at clubs all over the United States, so that's a good way to spread the word about when we're going to be local to our fans or signing locally for our fans – and it's a really good way for them to get another opportunity to see us if they're not local to the area."

"There are definitely positives and negatives. We're coming into a day and age where people are more open to porn stars, so using that to our benefit is really good. People can understand us more and see that we're not just this crazy, far away fantasy and we're real people and we're right here."

"It helps market. It helps promote. Getting out there and really interacting with your fans. Me? I'm not too Barbie-ish. I'm pretty real. I really enjoy my time with my fans – and they know that I enjoy it."

"Twitter … lets you connect with your fans. It lets them see you as a real person and they can follow up with what you're doing, who you're shooting for. It's also a good way to network with other producers and companies and studios. You can actually get booked just from tweeting different producers. … It gives them a chance to see your personality."

"It helps us reach the fans better. It helps us explain ourselves to them [and] get their ideas to help make better films for them."

Jeremy might be one of the biggest names in the industry, but he describes himself as "technologically illiterate" – showing off an aging flip cell phone as proof. But he's not quite missing out on the social media boom. "I sold the rights to my Twitter and Facebook pages," he said.