TikTok wasn’t even banned before the backlash began

At least as of this writing, we’re still waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court on TikTok’s future, but the app’s users aren’t waiting to find out what happens.

Over the past few days, TikTok alternatives like Clapper, Flip, and TikTok’s own Lemon8 have risen to the top of the App Store charts. And the most popular of them all, Xiao HongshuIt made the biggest impression on him Over 700,000 new users.

This mass exodus – which was caused by an attempted embargo and carried out with sheer spite – proves how futile efforts to protect Americans from a “dangerous” application, which took more than five years. In fact, these efforts appear to have made matters worse for those in power.

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Just sweets!

Repeatedly, the US government has said that its main goal in banning TikTok has always been to protect American users from Chinese propaganda and protect their data.

I think it is fair to say that it is not surprising that the government got it wrong. Great time.

In just a few days, Xiao Hongshu — which means “little red book” in English — turned US-China relations upside down. The app was created in 2013 and acts as a Chinese version of Instagram. Not only do Americans consume videos and photos on an app that actively censors content related to Tiananmen Square and nothing comes up when they search for “Xi Jinping,” but they strongly consent to the app tracking their data. Everywhere, the outcome was the opposite of what the US intelligence community wanted.

Many Americans are also offering advice on how to better blend in with Xiaohongshu’s predominantly Chinese user base. A TikTok user I posted a video This week, new US users are being asked to “stop saying democracy” on the app. She said: “If you are Taiwanese, and you are on Xiao Hongshu Island, you are now Chinese. Sorry.” I couldn’t find any criticism in her comments section. In fact, many users were thanking her for the tips.

The attempt to ban TikTok has inspired more interest in China among Americans than anything else. There has been a huge influx of TikTok users learning Mandarin by chatting with Chinese Xiaohongshu users or downloading language learning apps like Duolingo.

“I started learning on Duolingo and from the creators on Red Note (or Xiaohongshu),” one TikTok user wrote to me. “I even added a Chinese keyboard option to my phone.”

Another said: “I downloaded Red Note and had my first Chinese Duolingo lesson this morning 😂.”

“Oh, now you’re learning Mandarin,” X’s Duolingo account Published on Tuesday Respond to growth of interest.

There has been a 216 percent increase in the number of new Duolingo users signing up to learn Chinese, Duolingo spokesperson Monica Earle told WIRED. When someone signs up for a Duolingo account, they’re asked to fill out a questionnaire explaining how to find the app, and the company has noticed a “similar rise” in users choosing “TikTok” as their reason for joining Duolingo.