TikTok refugees flock to Xiaohongshu. What you need to know about the RedNote app

WASHINGTON (AP) — With TikTok’s fate hanging in the balance, American TikTok users are flocking to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, also called RedNote — making it the most downloaded app in the United States

Some of the “TikTok refugees,” as they call themselves, say so TikTok alternativea Chinese app, is chosen in protest against the TikTok ban. Here’s what you need to know about Xiaohongshu.

What is Xiaohongshu, the Chinese app that ‘TikTok refugees’ flocked to?

It is a lifestyle social media app that allows users to post short videos, photos, and texts, and it also includes features like live streaming and shopping.

A rare wave of American-Chinese camaraderie erupted online in recent days as “refugees” from the popular short video platform TikTok flocked to a Chinese social media platform to protest a probably ban on the service.

They were met with surprise, curiosity and in-jokes Xiaohongshu – literally “Little Red Book” – whose users saw English-language posts take over feeds almost overnight.

Americans introduced themselves with the hashtag TikTok refugees, asked me any position, and posted pictures of their pets to pay their hosts’ “cat tax.” Parents swapped stories about raising children and Swifties from both countries, of course, quickly found each other.

It’s a rare moment of direct contact between two online worlds normally kept apart by language, corporate borders and China’s strict system of online censorship that blocks access to nearly all international media and social media services.

Why do Americans download a Chinese app?

Chinese and American users are rarely in the same online spaces, in large part because China’s “Great Firewall” blocks internationally popular platforms like Instagram and X. Even TikTok blocks users in China and directs them to its onshore sister platform Douyin.

But as the deadline approached for a law that would ban TikTok in the US beginning on January 19, unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company, some began to migrate to Xiaohongshu.

“When they tell us you can’t have a Chinese app anymore, we go straight to another Chinese app,” said Katie Lawson, a farmer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who has posted videos of her chickens and saved many recipes from the app . “We will explore that country and their values ​​ourselves. We will go straight to the source.”

What is the difference between TikTok and Xiaohongshu?

Although TikTok is owned by a Chinese parent company, the short video platform popular with Generation Z is an international app whose content and users are cut off from that of its Chinese version, Douyin.

Xiaohongshu’s 300 million monthly active users are predominantly Chinese – so much so that parts of its interface have no English-language version. They strongly skew female and often address strangers simply as “sister”.

Known for a friendly atmosphere that focuses on user reviews and peer-to-peer advice, it is one of China’s fastest growing apps. Foreign celebrities – including Mariah Carey and Elon Musk’s mother Maye Musk – are longtime users. Kim Kardashian joined the app back in 2018.

How many Americans have joined Xiaohongshu?

The company has not released official data, but the app has reached the no. 1 in free downloads on both iOS and Android, stays in that spot for days.

On the platform, two versions of the TikTok refugee hashtag have over 24 million posts, with related posts appearing at the top of many users’ feeds.

What are users talking about?

A large number of US users say they have received a warm welcome from the #TikTokrefugee community. “Welcome the Global Villagers” remains the most popular topic on Xiaohongshu with 8.9 million views on Thursday.

Users from both countries compare notes on grocery prices, rent, health insurance, medical bills and the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Parents talk about what the children learn at school in two countries. Some have already joined book clubs and are building a community.

American users asked how Chinese people view the LGBTQ community and were warned that it was among sensitive topics, Chinese users taught Americans what are sensitive topics and keywords to avoid censorship on the app. Chinese students pulled out their English homework and looked for help.

How is the Chinese government responding?

Chinese state media, which has long dismissed US accusations against TikTok, welcomed the protest against the ban.

The People’s Daily, China’s largest national newspaper, said in an op-ed on TikTok refugees on Thursday that the TikTok refugees found a “new home” and “openness, communication and mutual learning are the unchanging themes of humanity and the fervent desires of people from all countries.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to AP’s request for an interview.

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Cohen reported from Bangkok.