"TikTok Refugees" Flock To Chinese App RedNote Ahead Of US Ban (X image @314goodnews)
TikTok users in US are migrating to a Chinese app called RedNote, as the threat to ban the former is nearing. The move by users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store.
RedNote, a TikTok competitor popular among young people in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin-speaking populations, has about 300 million monthly users. The app looks like a combination of TikTok and Instagram. It allows users, mostly young urban women, to exchange lifestyle tips from dating to fashion.
It appears that the new platform is thriving. It has welcomed its new users with open arms. There are 63,000 posts on the topic “TikTok refugee”, where new users are taught how to navigate the app and how to use basic Chinese phrases.
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“To our Chinese hosts, thanks for having us – sorry in advance for the chaos,” a new US user wrote.
US Supreme Court justices are due to rule on a law that set January 19 as deadline for TikTok to either sell its US operations or face a ban in the country. TikTok has repeatedly said that it will not sell its US business and its lawyers have warned that a ban will violate free speech protections for the platform’s 170 million users in the US.
At the same time, like TikTok, there have also been reports of censorship on RedNote when it comes to criticism of the Chinese government. In Taiwan, public officials are restricted from using RedNote due to alleged security risks of Chinese software.
While more US users joined RedNote, some Chinese users have also jokingly referred to themselves as “Chinese spies”, a reference to US officials’ concerns that TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.
RedNote’s Chinese name, Xiaohongshu, translates to Little Red Book, but the app says it is not a reference to Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s book of quotations with the same name. The said security concerns have not deterred users from flocking to RedNote.
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While a ban on TikTok will not make the app disappear immediately, and will require app stores to stop offering it – which could kill it over time. It appears that even if TikTok dodges a ban, it may prove helpless against users moving to alternative platforms.
Speaking to BBC, some social media users said that they find themselves scrolling on RedNote more than TikTok.
“Even if TikTok does stay I will continue to use my platform I’ve created on RedNote,” Tennessee tech worker Sydney Crawley said, as quoted by the outlet. Crawley said she got over 6,000 followers within 24 hours of creating her RedNote account. “I will continue to try to build a following there and see what new connections, friendships, or opportunities it brings me”.
