With TikTok headed for a possible shutdown in the U.S. effective as soon as this Sunday, the Chinese app Xiaohongshu, or REDnote, is gaining interest in the U.S.
In April, lawmakers concerned about the Chinese government’s influence over TikTok gave the social media’s Chinese parent company ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell the popular app or face a ban in the U.S.
The Supreme Court heard arguments last week in defense of TikTok’s current ownership, but would have to move very quickly to stop the app from being removed from Google Play Store, Apple App Store and being dropped by Internet providers if the justices either move to uphold the ban this week or do not impose a stay while they reach a decision.
Fear of being disconnected from TikTok has caused social media users to sign on with Xiaohongshu as an alternative. That video app is currently the most popular download on Apple’s AppStore and Google in the U.S.
While Xiaohongshu translates to “Little Red Book” in English, it’s frequently being called “REDnote” by American users and is labeled as such in Google Play store.
More than 150,000 Xiaohongshu users are using the hashtag #tiktokrefugee to indicate they’ve made the switch. They include Americans seeking advice on how to best user their new means of communication.
“TikTok possibly getting banned doesn’t just take away an app, it takes away jobs, friends and community,” said recent 21-year-old REDnote convert Alexis Garman from Oklahoma, who’s communicated with Chinese Xiaohongshu users on her freshly created feed.
A new associate of Garman’s in the Sichuan province joked about the kind of information often shared on social media.
“I am your Chinese spy,” that Chinese user posted. “Please surrender your personal information or the photographs of your cat (or dog).”
Google and Facebook are blocked in China, where Xiaohongshu is censored by the government. How that might impact U.S. users trying to promote their businesses or ideologies remains to be seen. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Shanghai. It too could face opposition from U.S. regulators.
The Pew Research Center reported in December that one-third of adults and a majority of teens in the the U.S. use TikTok.
President Biden in April signed into law the bill to compel Bytedance to divest in the app or cease operations in the U.S. President-elect Trump last month asked the Supreme Court to pause that ban from being imposed. Bloomberg reported Monday that there’ve been discussions about multi-billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk, who paid $44 billion for Twitter in 2022, adding TikTok to his portfolio. The depth of that reported speculation is unclear.
Xiaohongshu is believed to have 300 million monthly active users. Like Instagram and TikTok, it’s often used as a search engine for users seeking restaurant recommendations and makeup tips.
With News Wire Services
