While I'm hardly a public relations or marketing expert, I do like to think I know a thing or two about the world of social media. So it came as somewhat of a surprise when I discovered a piece in Vanity Fair a few weeks ago about something called "haul vlogging." In retrospect, that I hadn't heard of haul vlogging should not have come as too much of a surprise, however, given that I'm not a sixteen year old girl.

The typical haul vlog — think blog with a "v" for video — is one teenage girl's attempt to share with the world the fruits of her forays into the perilous world that is the American shopping mall. Generally, the teenager in question sits in front of a stationary camera and shows off her latest purchases accompanied by a variety of banal and superficial comments. I sat through juicystar07's "What's In My Bag?!" in preparation for this post, in which juicystar07 shares such wonderful details as the make and model of her purse.

To be blunt, I find these videos' subject matter and presentation soporific and mind-numbingly dull. But that's not really a criticism of juicystar07, or any other haul vlogger. I'm sure most of them would find the lectures I watch online about dynamic programming quite dull as well.

Though I do find these haul vlogs fascinating in many ways, and immensely troubling in others.

On the one hand, these illustrate the wondrous power of the Internet. If not for YouTube and inexpensive video capture equipment, most of these mall divas would likely have no way to share their opinions with and influence their peers around the world. It's quite remarkable, if incredibly boring for someone like me to watch.

But on the other hand, I take issue with the sort of superficiality that most of these haul vloggers promote. In the video I referenced above, the girl even makes the comment that she has no idea what differentiates her iPhone 3G from her iPhone 3GS. And it's telling that she really only knows three facts about her Louis Vuitton handbag: its make, its model number and the fact that the color of its handles shows its age. I have no problem with people buying purses from Louis Vuitton. I do have a problem with people buying them more or less for the sole purpose of being able to show off the fact they own a Louis Vuitton purse. I might have held up her video as an example of the ideal consumer if she had instead given some commentary about seam strength, and the way her particular bag exemplified solid, quality construction.

I briefly considered starting my own parody, perhaps titled "Pretentious Minimalist Things," but then it struck me that people might take it seriously.

And now, back to my paper on credit rationing.