The geography of gratitude

In its post, the team drew out a few interesting trends: how many southwestern states mention the rain, how much of the southeast thanks the Christian faith. They even noted how many states mention social media. (Though, really, California and Virginia: YouTube? Really?!)

What strikes me in the above map is the subtler ways state residents account for the uniqueness of where they live. Many northeast states are grateful for the beach, or being near it. In Wisconsin, “thunderstorms” are the most distinctively popular thing*. Perhaps these are the afternoon thunderstorms which roil through the Midwestern summer day. And Hawaiians and Louisianans—two states that sometimes face tropical storms—are thankful for rainbows.

These data dumps—about football and romantic relationships—are always interesting, partly because they reveal what Facebook can glimpse of our lives. While we may be happy to share our gratitude with the public, we should use this as an opportunity to consider what else we are sharing.