Why TikTok users download ‘Red Note’, the Chinese app

Manimatana Lee spent the last five years building one of the hottest commodities on the internet: a group of people who reliably watch her videos on TikTok.

She built an audience of nearly 10,000 followers with videos of herself vacuuming her house in Wisconsin while her youngest daughter slept in a sling on her back. A video of Ms Lee dancing and washing dishes – while wearing her sleeping baby – has been viewed more than a million times since November.

Now, with the Supreme Court set to rule soon in a case that could determine whether TikTok can be banned in the U.S. on national security grounds, Lee and other Americans looking for alternatives are downloading Xiaohongshu, a social media app popular in China and little known outside the country.

“How funny it would be if they ban TikTok and we all just move to this Chinese app,” Ms Lee wrote on TikTok on Monday, urging her followers to join her.

Xiaohongshu was the most downloaded free app in the US Apple Store on Tuesday. Over 300 million people, mostly in China, use the app, where they share short videos as well as still images, text-based posts. People who flocked to it said in interviews and on the app that they wanted to show they don’t share Washington’s concerns about TikTok’s ties to China.

TikTok, which is available in more than 150 countries but not China, is owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. US creators who post videos on TikTok say the app has been a source of connection, entertainment and information since it became a sensation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its secret sauce is its proprietary algorithm, technology that recommends a constant stream of short videos targeted to keep people scrolling.

But lawmakers in the United States and other countries have warned that the Chinese government could use TikTok to access data about its users, such as location and browsing history. Officials in Washington say they are also concerned that China could use TikTok to spread false information among the 170 million people who use it in the United States.

Xiaohongshu means “little red book” in Mandarin. Americans new to the app said they weren’t put off by the reference to a book of Mao Zedong’s words. Many call the app “Red Note”.

“I don’t really care if I even use a Chinese app,” Ms Lee said. “It’s like a place for me to escape reality. And if it makes me feel good, I’m here for it.”

A group of US creators have sued the government over the law, which could force the TikTok app to be sold or banned in the US, and TikTok is paying their legal fees. Mrs. Lee and another creator said in interviews that their interest in Xiaohongshu had not been encouraged by either company. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

Americans on Xiaohongshu have rallied under the hashtag “TikTokrefugee,” which had been viewed 100 million times and sparked about 2.5 million discussion threads on the app by Tuesday.

Joining the app has put American users in closer contact with people online in China than they ever were on TikTok. In China, people use Douyin, a very similar app that ByteDance used to develop the technology that made TikTok a worldwide hit. Douyin is difficult to access outside of China.

Many shared tips on how to navigate the app, which is mainly made for and used by people who read and speak Mandarin. Some took screenshots and asked ChatGPT to translate posts, they said.

Xiaohongshu shows the city or province for Chinese users posting and commenting, and the country for users outside of China. “We’re going to the Chinese spies and asking them to let us stay here,” said one American user. “Approved, welcome to Red Note,” replied one in Shanghai.

Until the end of December, 85 percent of Xiaohongshu traffic was from China, according to Similarweb, a data provider and website traffic tracker. The app is especially popular among women in their 20s and 30s, and its long comment threads have become a popular source of information where people can exchange questions about everyday concerns, much like Reddit.

Xiaohongshu did not respond to requests for comment.

By Tuesday, more than 100,000 people had joined a live group chat hosted by a user called “TikTok Refugee Club,” where people from around the world chatted with Chinese users about urban security. In another group chat, which had been viewed more than 30,000 times, participants discussed censorship and shared tips in the comments on how to avoid being banned from the platform for bringing up politically sensitive topics.

During another video posted by someone who said they were usually on TikTok, a user in China responded with a meme of a cat with outstretched paws. “I’m your Chinese spy,” the comment said, “give me all your data.”