A country inhabited by 67 million souls, Thailand has over 24 million Facebook and 1.5 million Instagram users. Not surprisingly, in 2013 there was a total of 36,443,398 photos and videos uploaded on Instagram from stunning Thailand. The natural and architectural beauty of the country lends itself to an Instagram frenzy, with people seeking a photo opportunity everywhere they go.
In 2012 the top two most photographed locations were in the Thai capital, Bangkok. Interestingly though, surpassing all major world landmarks and attractions, including Disneyland, Times Square and the Eiffel Tower by far, the most popular location was Survarnabhumi Airport ^(https://digitalculturesandtranslation.com/goto/http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2012/12/28/suvarnabhumi-airport-in-thailand-tops-instagrams-list-of-most-photographed-places-in-2012/). The second was Siam Paragon ^(https://digitalculturesandtranslation.com/goto/http://www.siamparagon.co.th/), one of Bangkok’s more prolific shopping complexes. In 2011, both these two locations made the top 5. As Tech in Asia ^(https://digitalculturesandtranslation.com/goto/http://www.techinasia.com/instagram-bangkok/)commented on its 2012 report, ” if there are three things Bangkokians love to do most, it’s to travel, shop, and take silly self-pics whilst doing so.”
However, there’s more to it than new airports, mega malls, perfectly reclining Budhas, vibrant temples and sandy beaches. Thai celebrities are also a key part of Instagram’s success in the country. Nine out of 10 of the most followed Thais on Instagram are (very attractive showbiz) females with the most watched being Chermarn Boonyasak and fellow actress Pachrapa Chaichua in a close second position. ZocialRank ^(https://digitalculturesandtranslation.com/goto/http://zocialrank.com/), the company that monitors social media trends in the country explains that celebrities make up 0.26 percent of the app’s user-base in Thailand. They have an average of 172,013 followers. Meanwhile, 10.48 percent are ‘influencers’ who have an average of 5,636 followers. This is a reflection of modern Thai culture’s infatuation with celebrities and everything ‘HiSo ^(https://digitalculturesandtranslation.com/goto/http://whatismatt.com/hi-so-in-thailand/)‘ (high society).
Add the 10.2 million tourists passing through the country annually and you’ve got all the ingredients for thriving participation in a mobile image sharing platform like Instagram.
If you are keen to find out more about Thailand’s self-reflection in Instagram, Zocial Inc’s nifty little Infographic can help:
