A snapshot of America

Before I launch into this post, a disclaimer: much like in this post on racial profiling, the study I am going to cite here suffers from self-selection bias--that is to say, it's not necessarily reflective of the population at large, and it should therefore be taken with a large grain of salt. But it's still a little troubling.

Times Square and Rockefeller Center often top the must-see list for New York City-bound tourists, but the Lourve-inspired [sic] Apple store on Fifth Avenue is surprisingly the number one most photographed attraction in Manhattan.

Researcher Eric Fischer mapped and analyzed millions of photos on Flickr that were taken throughout the city and looked at their geo-tagged information -- such as time and date they were shot --to determine patterns of interest.

Although the sleek glass exterior of the Fifth Avenue Apple store gets the most pictures, Rockefeller Center (no. 2), Columbus Circle (no. 3) and Times Square (no. 4) were also on the list.

Oh, dear God, people... really? Okay, look, I get that the Apple Store is right at the base of Central Park, and therefore it's a heavy traffic area, and so it's very recognizable and hard to miss, and... and... really!??! You go to New York City for a weekend to see the sights, and you take a picture of... THE APPLE STORE?!??! That's like going around the country taking a picture of all the great Wal-Marts throughout the nation. Hey, look! There's the Wal-Mart in Las Vegas! And there's the Wal-Mart by the Golden Gate Bridge!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since recent research suggests that love for Apple lights up the same part of the brain as religion--in that case, the Apple Store on 5th Avenue is for Apple lovers what St. Peter's is for a Catholic. Pardon me while I throw up a little bit.

Yup, this is America.

[LiveScience]
(h/t Barry Ritholtz)