The Most Photographed Town in America: Palm Springs and the Forever-Vibe

Once a hideaway for closeted stars and curated privacy, Palm Springs became a prototype for the content economy—designed for the lens, rehearsed for the feed.

It’s 10:07 a.m. The pool water hasn’t yet gone full shimmer, but it’s close. The mountains behind me are performing their usual miracle—jagged, silent, perfect. And just a few feet away, a woman in a tan bikini is cycling through her ninety-seventh pose while her boyfriend adjusts the angle, the exposure, the God-light. She’s not on holiday. She’s in pr…