New users have flocked to Chinese social media app RedNote just days ahead of a proposed US ban on popular social media app TikTok, as the lesser-known company rushes to capitalize on the sudden influx while walking a fine line of moderate content in English. , the sources told Reuters.
In a live chat called “TikTok Refugees” on RedNote on Monday, more than 50,000 American and Chinese users joined the room.
Veteran Chinese users, with a sense of bewilderment, welcomed their American counterparts and exchanged notes with them on topics such as food and youth unemployment.
Occasionally, however, the Americans ventured into more dangerous territory.
“Is it okay to ask how the laws are different in China versus Hong Kong?” asked an American user.
“We prefer not to talk about it here,” replied one Chinese user.
Such impromptu cultural exchanges were taking place across RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, as the app climbed to the top of the US download charts this week. Its popularity was fueled by US social media users looking for an alternative to ByteDance-owned TikTok days before its impending ban.
In just two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, a person close to the company told Reuters. Xiaohongshu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Downloads of RedNote in the US were up more than 200% year over year this week and 194% from a week ago, according to estimates from app data research firm Sensor Tower.
The second most popular free app on Apple’s App Store list on Tuesday, Lemon8, another social media app owned by ByteDance, experienced a similar surge last month, with downloads rising 190% in December to about 3.4 million.
The influx appears to have caught RedNote by surprise, with two sources familiar with the company telling Reuters they were trying to find ways to moderate English-language content and build English-Chinese translation tools.
RedNote maintains only one version of its app, rather than splitting it into foreign and domestic apps — a rarity among Chinese social apps subject to domestic moderation rules.
However, the company is keen to play down the sudden rush of attention, as executives see it as a possible path to achieving TikTok-like global popularity.
RedNote, a venture capital-backed startup with a recent valuation of $17 billion, allows users to curate photos, videos and text that document their lives. It has been seen as a potential IPO candidate in China.
In recent years, it has become a de facto search engine for its more than 300 million users looking for travel tips, anti-aging creams and restaurant recommendations.
Share prices of some Chinese-listed companies that do business with RedNote, such as Hangzhou Onechance Tech Corp., rose as much as 20% on Tuesday, hitting the daily limit.
The increase in US users comes ahead of a January 19 deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a US ban on national security grounds.
TikTok is currently used by about 170 million Americans, roughly half of the country’s population, and is extremely popular with young people and advertisers looking to reach them.
“Americans who use Rednote feel like a brazen middle finger to the US government because of its impact on businesses and privacy concerns,” said Stella Kittrell, 29, a content creator based in Baltimore, Md. She said she joined RedNote in hopes of further collaborations with Chinese companies which she found beneficial.
Some users said they joined the platform to look for alternatives to Meta Platforms-owned Facebook and Instagram, and to Elon Musk’s X. Some expressed doubt that they could rebuild their TikTok follower base on those apps.
“It’s not the same: Instagram, X or any other app,” said Brian Atabansi, 29, a business analyst and content creator based in San Diego, California. “Mainly because of how organic it is to build a community on TikTok,” he said.
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