“There’s never been a better time to be like, ‘This is who I am, this is what I’d like to say, and this is what I’d like to talk about,'” CBS late-night host James Corden told me in an interview. “And you can make those things yourself now.”

In the fight for gender balance in comedy, the advent of Internet-based social media platforms has provided an astonishing increase in pathways for communication, allowing female comedians to more easily connect, empower, and advocate.

One Los Angeles-based comedian, Rebecca Aranda, used Facebook and other social platforms to organize an idea she had to create a showcase that exclusively featured the talents of women comedians of color. By posting an audition notice to multiple community pages, she arranged a cast of like-minded and talented personalities.

“…being able to literally write together in our own spaces over the internet was amazing.” – Rebecca Aranda, Comedian

“It was instantly collaborative which is so cool because we actually had so few chances to meet and rehearse,” founder Aranda said, “because we’re all so busy, we all have jobs. They’re working actresses and working comedians. There were so few nights where we could actually all get together and be in the same space together. So having the option of Google Drive, Google Docs, and being able to literally write together in our own spaces over the internet was amazing.”

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL Q AND A WITH REBECCA ARANDA

One of the biggest tools for female comedians hoping to become late-night hosts is YouTube. James Corden says such services have completely changed the way comedians are breaking through and establishing their careers.

“That world of executives making decisions is becoming less and less relevant in a digital world, because you can just post stuff, and if people like that, you can’t argue with that.” -james Corden, host of “the late late show” on Cbs

“If what you want to do is be on camera, there is no better time to try and generate an audience,” Corden said. “You can share stuff with the world and if that stuff is good, people will find it. And if it’s not good, it doesn’t matter, because you can keep trying.”

“That world of executives making decisions is becoming less and less relevant in a digital world, because you can just post stuff and if people like that, you can’t argue with that,” he said.

Showcase performer Nikki Bailey said the shift to digital media is boosting a desire for diverse content. “What you’re getting to see on the Internet is that talent comes in all different shapes and sizes and colors. And people want to see all of that,” she said. “So I think it’s exciting.”

But excitement sometimes comes at a high cost. After Chicago-based comedian Victoria Nones experienced a misogynist-tinged “rape joke” made by a teacher in a comedy writing class, she searched for resources that might allow her to talk to other female comedians about it.

“I looked at that and I thought, ‘Where are the professional spaces for us to come together as a community? Where are the educational spaces? Where are the safe spaces?”

“I was posting jokes all the time. Someone saw that and recommended me for a job writing for Joan Rivers.” – Eliza Skinner, writer on the “Late Late Show” with James CordeN

Nones founded a non-profit organization, called Women of Comedy, which aims to empower, connect, and advocate for women in comedy across the world.

“I’ve been putting on speed networking events, so it allows women to come in, in a professional setting, and meet other women who are doing comedy,” she said. “I am confident that I can take this organization and turn it into something that can provide resources for women.”

But Nones is not the only one. Prominent comedic actress Elizabeth Banks recently founded a website called WhoHaHa that provides a platform for women-driven comedic content.

“This is an opportunity,” Banks recently told AdAge. “There are people doing it really well for boys. I just felt like there was not a place that was doing it really, really well, and specifically, for girls and women.”

In addition to unique online forums, women comedians are also taking advantage of mainstream social media sites like Twitter. Through Twitter, Skinner was able to get a job as a writer on the E! Channel’s “Fashion Police.”

“I started writing jokes on Twitter. We didn’t really know what it was yet. I was an early adopter… I was posting jokes all the time. Someone saw that and recommended me for a job writing for Joan Rivers,” said Skinner. “I don’t think they ever would have called me a joke-writer until Twitter.”

Rhodes also finds value in the platform known for its 140-character limit. “Your tweets all represent the way your mind thinks, and you say funny things, and you keep them interested in your projects that you’re working on,” she said.

“Comedy is ‘complaining with charm.’ And I think that’s what we do. We sort of say, ‘this is wrong.'” – Victoria Nones, founder of WOmenincomedy.org

“There’s so much going on that’s ripe from every perspective,” said former “Chelsea Lately” producer Jake Wachtel. “A man or a woman can laugh at a female or a male comedian. We need to literally break down barriers and laugh at what’s funny.”

“We can, in some way, be the leaders,” said Nones. “I think we talk about a lot of things that are difficult to discuss, and we’re willing to face and discuss those issues head on. One of my teachers said—and I think this is the greatest way to explain comedy—she said, Comedy is ‘complaining with charm.’ And I think that’s what we do. We sort of say, ‘This is wrong.’”