TikTok "in trouble", Americans "flock" to use Chinese social networks

Chinese social media app RedNote (or Xiaohongshu) is seeing a surge of new users, mainly from the US, just days before a potential ban on short- video sharing platform TikTok comes into effect.

Chinese social media app sees a huge influx of new users from the US. (Source: Xinhua)

Several content creators have joined RedNote in hopes of deepening cooperation with Chinese companies.

The surge in app users comes as the January 19 deadline approaches.

This is the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the US on national security grounds. TikTok has about 170 million users in the US, most of them young people.

According to a source close to the company, more than 700,000 new users joined RedNote in just two days, helping push the app to the top of the download charts in the US.

Data analytics firm Sensor Tower estimates that RedNote downloads in the US this week were up more than 200% year-over-year and 194% week-over-week.

RedNote also reached the second position in the list of free apps on Apple's App Store on January 14.

This unexpected surge prompted RedNote to quickly address the need to moderate English content and develop English-Chinese translation tools.

The app operates under a single version, unlike other Chinese social media apps that often separate domestic and international versions. With a market value of $17 billion, the parent company RedNote sees the rise as an opportunity to achieve global popularity, following a similar path to TikTok.

RedNote allows users to share photos, videos, and text that document their lives. The platform has become a popular search engine for more than 300 million users looking for information on travel, beauty products, and food .

The increased attention has also had a positive impact on RedNote-affiliated companies, with shares of Hangzhou Onechance Tech Corp. surging by the limit of 20% on Jan. 14.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tiktok-gap-nan-nguoi-dan-my-do-xo-dung-mang-xa-hoi-trung-quoc-301007.html