Upcoming U.S. TikTok ban drives users to ... another Chinese social media app

Social media users on the Chinese platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, have recently found themselves inundated with English content. This influx comes as the self-proclaimed "TikTok refugees" from the U.S. rush to register and post on the app.

As CGTN Digital observed on Apple's iPhone app store in the U.S. on Tuesday, RedNote is the most downloaded free app, followed by Lemon8, also a lifestyle social media app from TikTok creator ByteDance.

Over 109,000 posts can be found under the hashtag "TikTokRefugee," referring to U.S. TikTok users migrating to other platforms due to the impending TikTok ban in the U.S.

The U.S. government has cited TikTok as a national security threat, an argument that users have met with jokes and the "Chinese spy" meme. Many users posted videos on TikTok bidding farewell to their imagined "Chinese spies," only to be "reunited" with them in RedNote posts.

Many of these new foreign users expressed their friendliness on RedNote by posting photos of their pets, a practice known as paying their "cat tax." Others have attempted to blend in by asking for the latest memes circulating on Chinese social media.

These foreign users have been warmly welcomed in the comment sections. Many Chinese users, with the little English they know, have tried to explain the content rules to the newcomers – no porn, no drugs, no gambling. Some students even posted photos of their English homework, seeking help from native speakers.

But why did the "refugees" choose to move from one Chinese app to another, especially when the U.S. is abundant with TikTok-like products like Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight and YouTube Shorts?

For a start, RedNote is a well-established and popular platform in China. The app has been operating for over a decade and boasted over 300 million monthly active users as of March 2024. Beyond being a lifestyle-focused platform, it is also a popular resource for many young female users looking for purchasing advice, making it a powerful marketing tool.

Secondly, the app can serve as a bridge between Chinese and U.S. users, offering a glimpse into each other's lives. Currently, the app doesn't seem to have regional restrictions, allowing any user to view posts from anywhere in the world – a feature that TikTok lacks due to its separate Chinese mainland server.

Furthermore, many "TikTok refugees" have joined RedNote as a form of protest against the upcoming ban. Many people said in their TikTok videos that downloading RedNote is a message to the U.S. government and social media platforms like Meta, which reportedly lobbied lawmakers to win back users from TikTok.

While RedNote gained a significant number of users, the app may face consequences like becoming a target of the U.S. government – although it does not seem wise to ban every Chinese platform its citizens use. It may also face domestic pressure, as China has strict data security and privacy laws, especially concerning foreign entities.

After all, this "refugee crisis" may resolve itself if the TikTok ban is lifted before it takes effect on January 19. It does not seem hard for content creators to transfer a week's worth of posts from RedNote back to TikTok.