Once upon a time it was talent scouts who turned people into stars. Today it is the internet - specifically YouTube, MySpace and other social networking forums - which transforms showbiz wannabes into global stars.

Take the case of Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle. A self-confessed 47-year-old virgin who has never been kissed (she now says she was only joking,) this dowdy spinster from West Lothian, Scotland caused jaws to drop all round last week when she walked onto the stage in her crimplene dress and suggestively shook her hips at Simon Cowell, telling him she wanted to be as big as Elaine Paige.

When Susan launched into the opening line of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables, however, it was a different story. She can certainly sing, and got three yeses from the judges as well as a standing ovation from the overwhelmed audience. But it's the close to 30 million hits on her clip on YouTube that have confirmed her status as the music world's most unlikely new star. She has made headlines in Australia, France and America and is slated to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show soon. With her bushy eyebrows, unkempt hair and generous girth, former choir girl Susan is a long way from the airbrushed image of a singing superstar but a recording contract with Cowell is now assured, whether or not she wins the show.

The internet now plays a huge role in creating stars and hit albums. Three years ago, Lily Allen recorded a few songs and uploaded them onto her MySpace page. A few weeks later, her debut single Smile reached No 1 and suddenly Lily was a star. Sandi Thom was discovered in 2006 after broadcasting gigs from her bedroom on the internet. The exposure secured the young Scottish singer a deal with RCA and she went onto have a massive hit with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker.

And the Sheffield-based Indie rockers the Arctic Monkeys harnessed the huge power of the net when demo CDs handed out at their gigs were put on the internet by fans. They promoted their first single I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor via the net and built up a huge devoted following before the record industry had time to catch its breath. Their first album Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not made UK chart history, outselling the rest of the top 20 albums put together, and the band ended up signing to Franz Ferdinand's label Domino Records.

Forget the force: It's now more a case of ‘May the internet be with you.' and just in case you are thinking about looking for inspiration you can check out Susan here on YouTube and then just to prove she is not a one song woman why not listen to this too.