The most Instagrammed places in 2013
By Karla Cripps, CNN • Updated 18th December 2013
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With 2014 fast approaching, media companies around the world are hard at work churning out their obligatory year-in-review/look ahead roundups.
(Guilty as charged -- you can find CNN Travel's look ahead to what's hot in 2014 right here.)
Last week we highlighted the most popular Facebook checkins.
This week it's Instagram's turn to spill the beans on its users' favorite places to photo-filter in 2013.
Once again, an attraction in Bangkok topped the list of the most Instagrammed places.
Last year, the Thai capital's international airport snagged the lead spot.
In 2013 it's a luxury shopping mall -- Siam Paragon, last year's No. 2. (See the 2012 Instagram list here.)
New to the most popular list in 2013: Walt Disney World, New York City's High Line and Central Park and the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas.
The most Instagrammed locations of 2013
1. Siam Paragon, Bangkok
2. Times Square, New York
3. Disneyland, Anaheim, California
4. Bellagio Fountains, Las Vegas
5. Disney World Florida
6. Staples Center, Los Angeles
7. Central Park, New York
8. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
9. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Bangkok
10. The High Line, New York
That Bangkok managed to sneak two places into an otherwise exclusively U.S. list certainly seems curious.
Jon Russell, Asia editor of global technology blog Thenextweb.com, explains why the photo-sharing app is so hot in the Southeast Asia nation.
"Instagram is hugely popular in Thailand where timing -- the app's rise coincided with mass market adoption of smartphones -- and its use by Thai celebrities made it a must-have app for locals," he tells CNN.
"Thais are less concerned by the privacy issues of tracking their location, and keen to show friends where they've been.
"Plus Siam Paragon itself is more than just a shopping mall in Western terms. Aside from the many shops, cafes and restaurants -- taking a photo of your food/coffee is standard -- there's an aquarium, cinema and more."
Most Instagrammed cities of 2013
Bangkok's penchant for posting filtered shots of Siam Paragon and Suvarnabhumi wasn't enough to put the Thai capital into the top spot for most Instagrammed cities overall.
That honor went to New York City.
"In the course of the past year, we've seen Instagram continue to grow across the globe," says a post on the the photo sharing app's blog.
"We've been amazed to see the community thrive in places like Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. Sixty percent of Instagrammers are now sharing photos and videos from outside of the United States, so we wanted to also share the most Instagrammed cities in the world."
Here they are:
1. New York
2. Bangkok
3. Los Angeles
4. London
5. São Paulo
6. Moscow
7. Rio de Janeiro
8. San Diego, California
9. Las Vegas
10. San Francisco
Are you a fan of Instagram? Do you wish people would stop posting photos of their lunch? Share your thoughts on sharing in the comments.
