'TikTok refugees' from the US flood to other Chinese social networks

Faced with the threat of TikTok being shut down in the US, American users have flocked to another Chinese social networking app called RedNote.

Many American users have turned to a Chinese social networking app called RedNote to find a "place to hide" in the face of the risk of TikTok being banned in the US - Photo: TIMEDAILY.COM

Alternatives to TikTok

RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, has shot to the top of the US app charts, alongside Bytedance's Lemon8, as US users look for an alternative to Bytedance's TikTok, which is set to be shut down in the US in just a few days.

Under a law signed by President Joe Biden in 2024, TikTok will be banned in the US if its parent company Bytedance does not divest from the video app by January 19.

TikTok currently has about 170 million users in the US, about half of the country's population.

The Biden administration has accused the app of allowing China to collect data and track users, but Beijing and Bytedance have denied the allegations.

According to the Guardian , more than 50,000 people from the US and China joined a live chat called "TikTok Refugees" on RedNote.

The Chinese users, somewhat confused, welcomed the American users. They also exchanged views on a range of topics, from food to youth unemployment.

The hashtag "tiktokrefugee" (TikTok refugee) reached more than 100 million views by the evening of January 14.

Other apps like Meta's Instagram and Facebook, which a content creator named penguinpepperpia described as "apps for seniors", claimed that these platforms "also steal personal information to sell to other companies".

RedNote seeks to take advantage of the situation

RedNote, a venture-backed startup recently valued at $17 billion, allows users to share photo, video, and text content.

Over the years, the app has become an unofficial search engine for more than 300 million users, whether they're looking for travel tips or places to eat.

A person familiar with the company said that in just over two days, more than 700,000 new users joined RedNote. The company did not respond to a request for comment.

RedNote downloads in the US this week were up more than 200% year-over-year, and up 194% week-over-week, according to estimates from data research firm Sensor Tower.

RedNote also seems to have been caught off guard by the sudden growth. Two sources said the company is looking to moderate English content and build English-Chinese translation tools.

RedNote maintains only one version of its app, rather than splitting it into overseas and domestic apps — a rarity for Chinese social apps.

The Chinese social network is keen to capitalise on this “shining moment”, as RedNote’s leadership sees it as a potential path to achieving global status like TikTok.

Share prices of some Chinese-listed companies with ties to RedNote, such as Hangzhou Onechance Tech Corp, jumped as much as 20% on January 14.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dan-ti-nan-tiktok-tu-my-tran-sang-mang-xa-hoi-khac-cua-trung-quoc-20250115080047834.htm