As technology has eroded the traditional barriers between musicians and their admirers, the old-fashioned methods of connection — sending fan letters into the record label ether, sneaking backstage at a concert for a photo — have given way to new forms of interaction: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Online, artists are closer to their public than ever.

For Jake Mcelfresh, better known as Front Porch Step, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter known on the pop-punk and emo scene for his confessional lyrics, that perceived intimacy may prove to be his downfall. In the last two weeks, a growing number of accusations have surfaced online against Mr. Mcelfresh, 23, asserting that he engaged in inappropriate text message and social media relationships involving at least half a dozen teenage girls, including, in some cases, the exchange of sexually explicit pictures.

In some states, including Ohio, where Mr. Mcelfresh is based, it is a crime to possess sexual photographs of minors, or to encourage a minor to be photographed nude.

While no criminal charges have been filed against Mr. Mcelfresh, his case comes at a moment of heightened cultural attention to the accusations of sexual misdeeds on the part of entertainers, including R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and, most recently, the former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, each controversy amplified by the Internet. In this case, discussion has been based mostly on Tumblr, the multimedia blogging platform popular among teenagers exploring issues of social justice.