Who Needs REAL Friends?

Fourteen-year-old Bethany Mota is much like other teens: she's tech savvy, and she loves to shop...which according to some, are the two favorite activities of Generation Y. However, she is unlike many of her peers in how she combines the two. See, Bethany is among the growing list of "haulers."
This burgeoning population is comprised mostly of teenage girls and young women who describe themselves as "fashionistas" and want to prove it by using the internet to broadcast YouTube videos of themselves discussing their latest purchases or what they see as the next big things in fashion. Mind you, this is not some small splinter group: there are more than 200,000 "hauling" videos on YouTube. (The word comes from what shoppers describe as their "haul" at the mall.) The videos run the gamut, and Bethany's biggest hit (in terms of numbers of hits) was her discussion of the spring and summer fashions. This video had more than 96,000 views. Really.
Of course, the retailers have noticed. JC Penney and Marshall's department stores have already offered "haulers" free merchandise if they will allow them to post on Facebook or YouTube. And these girls are cashing in...in a manner of speaking. Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are both sponsoring contests to find the best of these videos for prizes of...what else? fashion items.
In the old days, kids would call their friends on the phone or drop over to their house just to show off the new stuff. There would be pajama parties during which (I'm told) fashion tips were exchanged as well as decisions made as to who was currently going with whom or who was no longer cool. With the new technology, teens don't even have to wait until the first bell to show off their new stuff or to foist their opinions about what matters on everyone with a computer...and apparently, these opinions DO matter.
Sorry, but I don't get it.
Anyone who uses the descriptor "cute" 27 times in a 7:33 video about nail polish as Bethany did would seem to be a bit vocab-challenged or tremendously self-absorbed...but then, this IS GenY I'm writing about.
I cannot believe we're all such slaves to the whims of designers...but then, my wardrobe isn't much different from the 18-year-old baller except I actually have shirts that are designed to be worn tucked in, and I wear belts. Most of the time, I prefer to keep my own fashion counsel (often to the dismay of those around me).
But, as comic Judy Tenuta (or Tenuda) once said reasoning why she never joined a sorority: "I already HAD a personality."
I wan;t be hauling anything any time soon...including the new look corduroy blazer for fall.