“I don't know how to make friends anymore”: he opens up on TikTok about his deep loneliness in Paris and receives a wave of support

The moving video quickly touched the hearts of thousands of people. Tiktok screenshot – @serge_adams

Serge, a newcomer to Paris, shared on TikTok his feelings about the loneliness that can occur when arriving in an unknown city. By the next day, his video had exceeded one million views, leading to the organization of a meeting in the streets of the capital.

A “difficult day” that turns into a surge of solidarity. On October 9, 2024, Serge, a 20-year-old Swiss photographer, shared a moving video on TikTok that quickly touched the hearts of thousands of people.

@serge_adams #foryou ♬ original sound – Serge Adams

Having just moved to Paris, Serge confides for 56 seconds, admitting to feeling deeply lonely in the capital after a period of discouragement in the "Parisian greyness". "It's a bit ridiculous, but I'm just looking for passionate, kind people, ready to make friends with someone new. I don't know how to make friends anymore, I miss being a child", he explains with tears in his eyes.

After posting this video, Serge puts his phone down for the night. When he wakes up, he considers deleting it, fearing that he will become the target of mockery. “I thought people were going to make fun of me”, he confides to BFMTV.

More than a million views

But, he discovers with surprise that the video had already reached more than a million views and 5,000 kind comments. “It was quite the opposite that happened”, he recounts with emotion.

Serge publishes a second video on TikTok on October 10, World Mental Health Day. Smiling and grateful, he thanks the people who sent him messages of friendship.

The next day, in a third video, Serge invites his new virtual friends to a meet-up in the streets of Paris on October 12. “I didn't expect anything when I went there with my headphones on, but when I saw a crowd of people arriving, I realized that they had really come for me”, he describes.

Around sixty people gathered

In the end, around sixty people gathered at the Louvre, walked along the banks of the Seine and shared a coffee in a Parisian bistro.

Four days after its publication, Serge's first video is close to two million views and exceeds the 10,000 comments. “The real message is that social media is not all about negativity. The love I've received is just incredible”, Serge concludes with a smile.