If you spend hours glued to TikTok, you will surely know all the drama behind this app in some countries: The ByteDance platform is accused of spying on its users and share data with the Chinese government. In the United States, in fact, they take it so seriously that they consider it a matter of national security. So much so that they have decided to ban TikTok on January 19th if it is not acquired by an American company.
This is something that has caused a stir among users, who are already looking for alternatives to TikTok. Some are studying how to access TikTok once banned (with a VPN), while others are more radical and are already signing up to new platforms. From this last group comes the success of REDnote, an app that wants to oust TikTok taking advantage of his expulsion from the United States. What is it about? What’s special about it? We present it to you.
REDnote is the “Instagram of China,” but now it’s becoming the new TikTok
Originally known as Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)REDnote has surprisingly positioned itself in the Apple App Store in the United States as one of the most downloaded apps in recent days. The reason? We have already talked about it above: a massive migration of users arriving from TikTok looking for a similar app to publish and view content.
Xiaohongshu has existed since 2013, owned by Xingin Information Technology and It was created as an alternative to Instagram for Chinataking advantage of the fact that the Meta app is banned in that country (like many other platforms).
This allowed him to become one of the most important social networks of the Asian superpowerreaching more than 300 million users. Attention, only in China, as this platform has not gained relevance in other markets. Until now.
Like TikTok, it is an application for upload videos of your travels, things you do and morealthough it also allows you to publish images and texts. How are content and users discovered? In the classic “follow”, “explore” and “near you” format, therefore It’s not particularly different from the platforms it seeks to replace.
However, REDnote It uses an algorithm as complex or more complex than TikTok’s: recommend content based on your recent interestsinstead of prioritizing the people you follow. This is seen as something positive for users, as there is a greater chance of finding original content and not everything revolves around influencers with the most followers.
The detail? Being an app focused on the Chinese market and with a vast majority of users coming from that country, sailing on it is a real adventure. The reason? We will comment on it along with what it caused.
American and Chinese users intersect in REDnote, recreating the era of colonization
REDnote is currently being rolled out a mix of Chinese and English publicationseven if you know nothing about this ancient Asian language. Since then, the massive migration of Western users has caused a rather comical phenomenon within the app American users tried to communicate.
AS? Through posts or in the comments section itself. From there they ask Chinese users what the popular memes of their country are, their lifestyle and they ensure it They are visiting and want to be good guests.
Chinese users responded by welcoming it and be open to receiving people from other countries. However, also They asked for respect between communities and not to talk about politics on the platform, because it’s about having fun and having fun.
One Chinese user even described the meeting as something that could be historic.. He believes that everything has changed very quickly and that for the first time ordinary citizens of both countries can be truly connected.
This is a thesis supported by Chinese technology analyst Ivy Yang, who believes that the Americans created unexpectedly one of the most organic forms of cultural exchange between the two countries in recent years.
The collaboration was such Chinese users have shared tutorials to help self-described “TikTok refugees” understand the app. Yes, even overcoming language barriers.
This all seems brilliant to us, but there’s a problem.
Like TikTok, REDnote and other Chinese apps may soon be banned from the United States
Although American TikTok users are migrating to other platforms like REDnote or Lemon8 to get around the ban or protest against it, it’s something that won’t last long. The reason? The vast majority are not aware of this The US Supreme Court decision goes even further compared to TikTok.
TikTok is the platform that is in the eye of the stormas ByteDance has until January 19 to be sold to an American company. If the date arrives, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to apply the veto, but there is more.
The ban also affects other Chinese-owned appsincluding REDnote, WeChat, and even Lemon8 and CapCut (both by ByteDance). So, they could be banned in a few days.
