As TikTok faces a sell-or-ban deadline in the United States, American users have shown their disapproval with the US government’s position by turning to an app called Xiaohongshu.
Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English, is a Chinese social media app that shares components of Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest in its interface. Unexpectedly, it is becoming the new home of Americans online.
We’ve had a look at RedNote as social media users look for an alternative to TikTok. There are currently 63,000 posts from so-called TikTok refugees.
What is RedNote?
Launched in 2013, RedNote is one of the most popular apps in China, boasting 300 million monthly active users, although considerably lower than the user base of TikTok. The app is valued at over $3 billion and has raised nearly $1 billion in venture funding, according to TechCrunch.
Why are Americans using it?
Dissatisfied with the likelihood of a federal TikTok ban on January 19, Americans have begun searching for new alternatives. Whilst established apps such as Meta’s Instagram were expected to see an uptick in users, many users do not want to support Meta, especially after CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent controversial comments on feminine workplaces and fact checking on their platforms.
As a result, RedNote has become the number one free app on the Apple App Store, despite being completely in Mandarin, with some influencers on TikTok asking their following to migrate to RedNote.
There are roughly 63,000 posts on the topic “TikTok refugee” on the platform, where new users are taught how to navigate the app and how to use basic Chinese phrases. The irony of a bill trying to stop alleged Chinese interference resulting in people downloading a Chinese app has not been lost. Another irony is that people in China are not allowed to use TikTok.
On X, one user wrote: “Lmao at thousands of people downloading Rednote (the version of Tiktok that is actually owned by China) to spite the US government, finding themselves having lovely interactions with the millions of Chinese citizens on the app and inadvertently undoing decades of US propaganda.”
Whilst another added, “This is the funniest thing to happen with the TikTok ban. TikTok refugees are flocking to an actual Chinese owned clone of TikTok called RedNote rather than use Meta or YouTube to the point it’s #1 on the AppStore now. It’s wild. Everyone is learning mandarin. Existing users are super welcoming.”
Screenshots have shown Chinese users teaching American users Mandarin and Americans helping Chinese users with their English homework.
If the sell-or-ban bill is implemented on the 19, TikTok will not disappear suddenly from American users phones. Rather the app will be removed from app stores, meaning individuals who did not have the app prior to January 19, will no longer be able to download it, and the app will stop receiving updates, likely making it obsolete in the future.