TikTok users are flocking to another Chinese social media app as a US ban looms

As the ban on TikTok approaches and There is no indication the Supreme Court will stop itusers are already looking for a new place to pass their day away. Instead of turning to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, a large number of people – driven by desperation and pettiness – are jumping onto RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), a social media app owned by Chinese company Xingyin Information Technology.

So many Americans have downloaded RedNote in the past few days that it has been ported to First place in the Apple App Store. Existing users on the platform – mainly based in China – were as well Very welcoming For orphan users, post videos explaining how to use the app with hashtags such as #TikTokRefugeeswhich was spread through the application. Meanwhile, American users were keen to show respect to their new hosts, by posting Greetings to President Xi. The two parties have already found common ground, including in their own matters Mutual respect Charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione.

The fact that people can post pictures with comments on rednote and that people are asking for help learning English is very funny pic.twitter.com/6IE7FjSjSO

– Ophelia 🏁 (@notopheliagrace) January 13, 2025

xiaohongshu is at the top of the app downloads today, *and* the “TikTok refugees” are already finding a home among China’s Luigi Mangione stans. They joke about sending their data directly to Xi Jinping in a red envelope. You know the US tech lobby is angry now pic.twitter.com/eTWMqelcAn

– Morgan Sung (@morgan_sung) January 13, 2025

RedNote is not an ideal replacement for TikTok, as its interface works more like Pinterest than standard infinite video scrolling, and it has been described as… Instagram China— but it checks some important boxes for creators who worry they’ll lose followers in the event of a looming TikTok ban on January 19. First, it is a vertical platform for original video, similar to TikTok. Secondly, it has built-in shopping features similar to Tik Tok store Which has become a boon for content creators looking to build a storefront, since the early days of the app as a Social shopping app Focused on fashion.

But perhaps the statement you make is just as important as the job. While TikTok is banned by American politicians due to its ties to the Chinese government which is obscured by the fact that the American version of the app is Headquartered in Los AngelesRedNote is clearly a Chinese-owned service. It is owned by Xingyin Information Technology, which owns… Direct relations with the Chinese government. Now Americans are flocking to the idea, clearly because their government told them not to.

It’s hard to say how long the TikTok refugee movement will last on RedNote. The app certainly wasn’t damaged before Americans flocked to it, it received a message Value: $17 billion In 2024, and that was before it exploded $1 billion in total revenue For the year. But the new audience may give the app a reason to appeal to a new market that has more money to spend.

US politicians are likely to turn their anger on RedNote at some point if it continues to gain strength. While it’s unlikely to be a truly new TikTok, it would likely be subject to the same law that would effectively ban TikTok in the US, as it would apply to any China-based company. The same goes for other explicit TikTok products like Lemon8, which will be the same Subject to embargoalso.

Frankly, if the US government wants to crush these apps so badly, it should probably prevent US venture capitalists from pouring money into them rather than banning citizens from using them. It was the US dollar, to a large extent, that helped stimulate RedNote’s explosive growth and Tik TokFunders seem happy to take money almost anywhere regardless of any concerns about “national security” or otherwise. Turns out money is spent the same way no matter what.