As the possible TikTok ban in the US intensifies, American users are migrating to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform. Some view this switch as a direct protest against the potential ban.
As the threat of a TikTok ban looms in the United States, American users are flocking to Xiaohongshu , a Chinese social media app, making it the top downloaded app in the country. Some of these 'TikTok refugees,' as they call themselves, are choosing Xiaohongshu as a direct protest against the potential TikTok ban. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a law that requires TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 19th or face a ban in the U.S.
over national security concerns. After the justices signaled their inclination to uphold the law, a surge of TikTok users started creating accounts on Xiaohongshu, incorporating hashtags like #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok into their posts. Since Monday, Xiaohongshu has climbed to the top spot as the most downloaded free app on Apple's App Store in the U.S.Xiaohongshu, which translates to 'Little Red Book' in English, is a Chinese social media platform that combines e-commerce, short video sharing, and posting functionalities. The app has gained considerable traction in China and other regions with a significant Chinese diaspora, such as Malaysia and Taiwan, accumulating 300 million monthly active users. The majority of these users are young women who rely on Xiaohongshu as a de-facto search engine for product recommendations, travel and restaurant reviews, as well as makeup and skincare tutorials.The #tiktokrefugee topic has garnered over 160,000 posts on Xiaohongshu, many of which are videos from American users introducing themselves and seeking advice on navigating the app, which they are referring to as 'RedNote.' Xiaohongshu has not yet responded to a request for comment from The Associated Press. 21-year-old TikTok user Alexis Garman from Oklahoma, with nearly 20,000 followers, joined Xiaohongshu on Tuesday after observing others doing the same. Garman stated that she is not particularly concerned about data privacy. 'What I experienced on (Xiaohongshu) so far has been really great and inviting,' said Garman, who has made two posts on the platform. A user from Beijing commented on one of her posts, 'I like your makeup,' and Garman responded with a thank you. Another user from Sichuan commented, 'I am your Chinese spy … please surrender your personal information or the photographs of your cat (or dog).' 'TikTok possibly getting banned doesn’t just take away an app, it takes away jobs, friends and community,' Garman said. 'Personally, the friends and bond I have with my followers will now be gone.' Other American users who have joined Xiaohongshu have openly expressed their intention to join the app as a form of protest against the potential TikTok ban.An American user known as Definitelynotchippy made a video addressed to Chinese Xiaohongshu users, explaining the Americans' reasoning for downloading the app. 'The reason that our government is telling us that they are banning TikTok is because they’re insisting that it’s owned by you guys, the Chinese people, government, whatever,' she said. 'And they’re trying to make us think that you guys are bad.' 'A lot 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 spite our government and to learn about China and hang out with you guys.'Chinese users on Xiaohongshu have generally welcomed American users, with some offering to teach them Chinese. Others have provided advice on navigating the Chinese internet, cautioning new users against mentioning or discussing anything considered politically sensitive, as they may face censorship. In some instances, Chinese students have requested assistance from Americans with their English homework. Like most apps and internet services in China, Xiaohongshu is subject to censorship. Platforms typically enforce censorship by deleting or shadowbanning content that Beijing deems politically sensitive. Large Western platforms, such as Google and Facebook, are blocked in China.Although Xiaohongshu has experienced a significant influx of users, it is uncertain if the app can fully replace TikTok, which has developed a comprehensive ecosystem that enables e-commerce and advertising. Before TikTok faced threats, the vast majority of Xiaohongshu's users were Chinese, and the app, lacking translation features, is not optimized for an international user base. Even amidst ongoing U.S.-China tensions regarding trade and national security, many Chinese and American Xiaohongshu users have engaged in friendly cultural exchanges on the app, ranging from live chat rooms to comments on posts. An American user identified as Amanda posted a video expressing her joy at discovering Xiaohongshu, stating that Chinese users have been welcoming. Under her post, a Chinese user commented: 'We are not enemy, we are human beings (living) in one world!!' Another user added: 'We also never … had a chance to communicate with you foreign guys directly sharing the same app or platform, so the (feeling is) mutual since you come on this app.
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