Charles Baudelaire, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In the 19th century, French poet Charles Baudelaire described the flâneur as a detached observer of city life — someone who strolls through the streets of Paris simply to watch, think, and be. In 2025, the flâneur is still here, but they might have a phone in one hand, a matcha latte in the other, and a TikTok draft waiting to be posted.
From Boulevard to Algorithm
The 19th-century flâneur wandered the newly built boulevards of Haussmann’s Paris. Today’s flâneur wanders for content — exploring cafés with vintage tiling, colorful street art walls, and perfect haussmannien balconies to post on social media. Instead of sketchbooks, they carry smartphones; instead of salon discussions, they share their thoughts in captions and comment sections.
The New Aesthetic of Wandering
Urban wandering has become aestheticized: #FlaneurTok and #ParisVibes showcase slow walks along the Canal Saint-Martin, morning markets in Belleville, and sunset views from Pont Neuf. The algorithm rewards curiosity — people follow creators who discover tucked-away bookshops or hidden courtyards that feel like secrets.
Challenges of the Digital Flâneur
But being a 2025 flâneur isn’t all dreamy cobblestones and buttery croissants. The pressure to constantly document can turn strolling into content production. Some modern flâneurs resist this, leaving their phones at home for “analog walks” where the only feed is the one at their neighborhood café.
Why the Concept Still Matters
Whether on TikTok or off-grid, the flâneur’s role is to remind us to slow down and actually notice the city around us — the smell of fresh baguettes, the sound of a passing accordion, the pattern of light on a stone façade. In an age of speed and scroll, flânerie is an act of reclaiming time.
The Parisian flâneur of 2025 is both timeless and new: part poet, part content creator, part rebel against the algorithm. And maybe that’s exactly what Baudelaire would have wanted — someone to keep walking, keep noticing, and keep finding beauty in the everyday city.