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샴 파라곤 (AP) |
에펠탑, 타지마할 그리고 그랜드 캐니언이 사진 명소로 뽑히지만 사진 공유 어플리케이션인 ‘인스타그램’에 가장 많이 업로드된 장소로 방콕의 한 쇼핑몰이 뽑혔다.
연말 ‘탑10’ 리스트에서 2등 타임스스퀘어와 3등 캘리포니아 디즈니랜드를 제치고 2013년 인스타그램에 가장 많이 업로드 된 곳은 태국의 쇼핑몰 샴 파라곤이다.
리스트의 다른 주요 지역은 뉴욕 센트럴 파크와 LA 다저스 스타디움 등이 있다. 에펠탑은 올해 밀려났다. 올해 9위를 차지한 태국의 수바르나부미 공항은 작년 우승자였다.
관광객들은 주로 타이왕궁이나 왓 포 같은 명소를 방문하지만 방콕 심장부에 있는 이 고급 쇼핑몰은 하루 10만 명의 방문객을 끌어들이고 있다.
사무원 사야몬 스리차이(33)은 본인 사진을 찍으며 “모든 연예인들이 이곳에 와서 사진을 찍어 올립니다”라고 말했다. “저같이 평범한 사람들은 연예인을 따라 하고 싶어합니다”라고 했다.
태국은 ‘미소의 땅’이라고 불리고 있는데, 동시에 셀카의 왕국이라고도 할 수 있다. 태국사람들은 일상생활을 기록하고 즉각 업로드해서 친구들이 무엇을 하는지 알 수 있게 하는 것을 좋아한다. 사진을 찍어 올리는 것이 일종의 절차로 여겨진다.
많은 쇼핑객들은 파라곤을 개인적인 무대로 생각한다. 아쿠아리움, 시네플렉스, 볼링장 등 어디서든 사진 촬영을 위한 포즈를 취한다.
쇼핑몰 안 푸드코트 손님들은 항상 먹기 전에 음식 사진을 찍는다. 1035명의 인스타그램 팔로워를 보유하고 있는 출랑롱코른대학교의 한 학생은 “음식 사진이 다른 사진보다 ‘좋아요’를 많이 얻는다”고 노하루를 공유했다.
또 다른 학생은 “에펠탑에 가면 한번 사진을 찍고 말지만, 이곳은 학교가 끝난 후 매일 온다”고 말했다.
(한글: 성진우 인턴기자)
<관련영문기사>
Thai mega mall tops Instagram‘s year-end list
Sure, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon have inspired many photographs. But a shopping mall in Bangkok has claimed this year‘s crown as the world’s most photographed location on Instagram.
In its Top 10 year-end list, the photo-sharing app dubbed Siam Paragon as the planet‘s most ``Instagrammed’‘ spot in 2013. It edged out No. 2 Times Square and No. 3 Disneyland in California on the list that also includes New York’s Central Park and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Paris‘ iconic steel tower got bumped off the list. And if Siam Paragon seems like an improbable winner consider this: last year’s most ``Instagrammed‘’ place was again from Thailand _ Bangkok‘s Suvarnabhumi Airport, which this year was at No. 9.
Instagram spokeswoman Tiffany Testo said in an email response that the California-based company does not release data on how many pictures were taken.
The luxury mall in the heart of Bangkok is not exactly a world-famous landmark. Sightseeing visitors to the city typically head first to the majestic Grand Palace or take in the serenity of Buddhist temples like Wat Pho. The mall is a trendy meeting place in Bangkok that claims to have more than 100,000 visitors a day. But why is it so avidly photographed?
``All the celebrities come here and post photos of themselves,’‘ said Sayamon Srichai, a 33-year-old Bangkok office worker walking past Paragon’s tropical Christmas garden with an outstretched arm as she smiled for her smartphone. ``Regular people like me want to walk in their footsteps.‘’
Thailand has long been called the Land of Smiles, but it could also be called the Land of Selfies. Thais love taking pictures of themselves, documenting their daily activities and uploading the images instantly so friends know what they‘re up to. The Southeast Asian country is also one world’s biggest users of social media, which could explain why a building that may not be the most photographed in the world still ends up as the most visible on Instagram.
``Taking Instagram pictures is sort of like a daily ritual,‘’ said Jitlada Mahan, 18, another shopper posing for her phone outside the sprawling five-floor complex. ``This is how I communicate with my friends. Now they know where to find me.‘’
Combine that passion with Thailand‘s love of shopping malls, which offer air-conditioned refuge from the steamy outdoors, and the photo ops are endless.
Many shoppers treat Paragon like their personal catwalk: Visitors pose for pictures everywhere _ at the aquarium, at the cineplex, the bowling alley, the outdoor Christmas garden and inside its hundreds of shops and restaurants.
Diners in the food court pause before eating to photograph their food
``I take photos of food here all the time. Almost every day,’‘ said Jirathip Khajonkulvanich, an 18-year-old student who has 1,035 Instagram followers and has learned how to boost her online popularity. ``When you take photos of food, people press `like’ more than with other pictures.‘’
Jirathip was having lunch with a group of fellow students from Chulalongkorn University, one of the country‘s most prestigious and a short walk away from the mega mall.
Historical sites can’t compete when it comes to uploads, said one of the students, Suthasinee Tilokruanochai, who said her friends upload multiple pictures from every visit to the shopping mall.
``If you go to the Eiffel Tower, you go once. You take a picture and you leave,‘’ said Suthasinee, a 22-year-old engineering student. ``We come here every day after school.‘’ (AP)
