The Chinese social networking app Xiaohongshu is the most downloaded in the United States as a result of TikTok users moving to it in large numbers as a result of the impending ban.
Some of the so-called “TikTok refugees” claim that the TikTok replacement, a Chinese app, is being selected in opposition to the TikTok ban.
Due to national security concerns, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on legislation requiring TikTok to separate from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or risk being banned in the country.
Many TikTok users started making accounts on Xiaohongshu and adding hashtags like #tiktokrefugee or #tiktok to their posts after the justices appeared inclined to uphold the ban.
Xiaohongshu has been the most downloaded free software in the United States on Apple’s software store since Monday.
The Chinese social networking app Xiaohongshu, which translates to “Little Red Book” in English, mixes posting, e-commerce, and short video features.
With 300 million monthly active users, mostly young women, the app has become popular in China and other Chinese-diaspora countries like Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years.
They use it as a de facto search engine for product, travel, and restaurant recommendations, as well as skincare and makeup tutorials.
On Xiaohongshu, the #tiktokrefugee topic has amassed over 160,000 postings, many of which are videos of American users introducing themselves and requesting help using the app, which they are referring to as “RedNote.”
Alexis Garman, a 21-year-old Oklahoman TikTok user, has almost 20,000 followers. After witnessing others join Xiaohongshu, she did the same on Tuesday. According to Garman, data privacy does not worry her.
Garman, who has posted twice on Xiaohongshu, said, “So far, my experience on the platform has been great and inviting.”
A Beijing-based Xiaohongshu user comments on one of her images, “I like your makeup,” and Garman responds with gratitude.
“I am your Chinese spy,” remarked a user from the Sichuan province in the southwest. Please give up the pictures of your dog or cat or your details.
According to Garman, “TikTok potentially being banned takes away more than just an app—it takes away jobs, friends, and community.” “I will no longer have the friendships and connections I have with my followers.”
In protest of the potential TikTok ban, several American users who have joined Xiaohongshu have been vocal about their decision to do so.
In a video targeted to Xiaohongshu’s Chinese users, an American user using the handle Definitelynotchippy explains why Americans are downloading the app.
“Our government is telling us that they are banning TikTok because they are claiming that you guys, the Chinese people, the government, or whatever own it,” she stated. “And they’re attempting to convince us that you guys are evil.”
However, she added, “Many of us are smarter than that, so we decided to piss off our government and download an actual Chinese app.”
“We refer to that as trolling. In summary, we are here to learn about China, hang out with you guys, and resent our government.
American users have so far been welcomed by Chinese users on Xiaohongshu, and some of them have even offered to teach them Chinese.
Others have provided advice on navigating the Chinese internet, cautioning new users against discussing or mentioning anything deemed politically sensitive because it could be banned.
American students have occasionally been asked to assist Chinese students with their English assignments.
Similar to the majority of Chinese apps and internet services, Xiaohongshu is censored.
To enforce censorship, platforms usually remove or shadowban content that Beijing considers politically sensitive.
Big Western websites like Facebook and Google are restricted in China.
Even though Xiaohongshu has witnessed a surge in users, it is unclear if the app will be able to take the position of TikTok, which has developed an environment that permits advertising and e-commerce.
Laptops 1000The vast majority of Xiaohongshu’s users were Chinese before TikTok’s threat, and the app is not designed with an international user base in mind because it lacks translation capabilities.
Many Chinese and American users of Xiaohongshu have sought amicable cultural exchanges via the app, even though economic and national security tensions between the United States and China are still high. These exchanges take the form of comments on posts and live chat rooms.
In a video, a TikTok refugee named Amanda expressed her happiness at discovering the Xiaohongshu app and claimed that Chinese users were friendly.
A Chinese user wrote, “We are not enemies; we are human beings (living) in one world,” beneath her post.
Another comment is, “The feeling is mutual since you came on this app, as we also never had a chance to communicate with you foreign guys directly sharing the same app or platform.”
Amanda, the TikTok “refugee,” stated in a Chinese-language comment that she would try to add captions and subtitles in Chinese going forward.
“Talking to Chinese people and learning about your culture and experiences makes me very happy,” she remarked.
