What is the modern day French Flaneur?
As per Dictionary.com, A French Flaneur is “loafer, idler,” 1854, from French flâneur, from flâner “to stroll, loaf,saunter,” probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian flana, flanta”to gad about”).”
What does all of that truly mean? Well, in simply terms, it is someone who walks/ “strolls” without a destination in sight. A true flaneur is someone who does not care as much about the destination but more about the journey.
My first drawing is about StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon is a website/application in which it takes you on a journey with not true destination in sight. It takes you/shows you various websites and pictures to explore the huge world that is the internet. You pick a topic and it takes you to websites and pictures related to your original topic. From there, you can wander off course, and go wherever.
My second drawing is about Netflix binge watching. This may be a stretch, but heres my case. People will spend hours, if not full-days watching countless movies and shows on Netflix with no end in sight.They are wandering the “internet” watching endless shows and movies. I am not judging because I have been there and done it.
My third drawing is about social media in general. People will watch random youtube videos, wander facebook timelines/stalk people, scroll endless twitter feeds, watch hundreds of snap stories and/or view hundreds of pictures on instagram/pinterest. I am not judging again, because instead of studying or writing articles, I have found myself doing this. They are the modern day Flaneurs because of their endless search of knowledge of what people are doing. I have been there, I was supposed to be studying but instead I am watching weird videos of people hitting each other in their private areas, people dancing or even random wedding speeches.