HONG KONG – As the threat of a TikTok ban looms, US TikTok users are flocking to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu – making it the most downloaded app in the US
Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say the alternative TikTok, a Chinese app, is being chosen in protest of the TikTok ban.
The US Supreme Court will rule on a law that requires TikTok to be spun off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or face a US ban over national security concerns.
After the judges seemed inclined to let the law stand, masses of TikTok users started creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, including hashtags like #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok in their posts. As of Monday, Xiaohongshu has become the most downloaded free app on Apple’s US App Store
Xiaohongshu, which means “Little Red Book” in English, is a Chinese social media application that combines e-commerce, short video and posting functions.
The app has gained traction in China and other regions and countries with a Chinese diaspora such as Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years, amassing 300 million monthly active users, most of whom are young women who use it as a de-facto search engine. . for product, travel and restaurant recommendations, as well as makeup and skin care tutorials.
The #tiktokrefugee thread has garnered over 160,000 posts on Xiaohongshu, many of which are videos of American users introducing themselves and asking for tips on how to navigate the app, which they’re calling “RedNote.”
Xiaohongshu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Alexis Garman is a 21-year-old TikTok user in Oklahoma with nearly 20,000 followers. She joined Xiaohongshu on Tuesday after seeing others do the same. Garman said she is not particularly concerned about data privacy.
“What I’ve experienced on (Xiaohongshu) so far has been really wonderful and inviting,” said Garman, who has left two posts on the platform.
“I love your makeup,” a Beijing-based Xiaohongshu user comments on one of her posts, and Garman thanks them in a reply. A user from the southwestern province of Sichuan commented “I am your Chinese spy … please submit your personal information or pictures of your cat (or dog).”
“Banning TikTok doesn’t just take away an app, it takes away jobs, friends and community,” Garman said. “Personally, the friends and connection I have with my followers will now be gone.”
Other American users who have joined Xiaohongshu have been open about joining the app in protest of TikTok’s possible ban.
An American user with the handle Definitelynotchippy made a video aimed at Chinese users of Xiaohongshu, explaining why Americans are downloading the app.
“The reason our government is telling us they’re banning TikTok is because they’re insisting it’s owned by you guys, the Chinese people, the government, whatever,” she said. “And they’re trying to make us think you’re bad.”
“Many of us are smarter than that though, so we decided to piss off our government and download an actual Chinese app,” she said. “We call that trolling … in short, we’re here to abuse our government and learn about China and hang out with you guys.”
Chinese users on Xiaohongshu have so far been welcoming to American users, with some offering to teach them Chinese. Others have offered advice on navigating the Chinese internet, warning new users not to mention or discuss anything deemed politically sensitive as they could be censored. In some cases, Chinese students have asked Americans for help with their English assignments.
Like most internet apps and services in China, Xiaohongshu is subject to censorship. Platforms typically enforce censorship by deleting or blocking content that Beijing deems politically sensitive. Major Western platforms, such as Google and Facebook, are blocked in China.
Although Xiaohongshu has seen an influx of users, it is not clear whether the app can replace TikTok, which has created an ecosystem that allows for e-commerce and advertising. Before TikTok was under threat, the vast majority of Xiaohongshu’s users were Chinese, and the app, which lacks translation features, is not optimized for an international user base.
Although US-China tensions remain high over trade and national security, many Chinese and American users of Xiaohongshu have been following friendly cultural exchanges on the app. These interactions range from live chat rooms to comments on posts.
A TikTok refugee, who goes by the name Amanda, posted a video about how happy she was to find the Xiaohongshu app, saying that Chinese users have been welcoming. Under her post, a Chinese user commented: “We are not the enemy, we are human beings (living) in one world!”
“We also never had a chance to communicate with you guys who are strangers directly sharing the same app or platform, so (the feeling is) mutual from the moment you enter this app,” says another.
In a comment posted in Chinese, TikTok “refugee” Amanda said she would work on posting subtitles and subtitles in Chinese in the future.
“I am very happy to talk to Chinese people and learn about your culture and experiences,” she said.
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