What to Know About RedNote and Why TikTok Users Are Flocking There

With the U.S. ban of TikTok inching closer, one of the new apps to emerge is Xiaohongshu – or RedNote – and it’s serving as a sort of refuge for users.

Xiaohongshu leapt to the top of the Apple App Store in the week leading up to the TikTok ban set to go into effect on Jan. 19. It is being pushed by a number of TikTok users as an act of defiance toward Washington banning their real app of choice. But what is Xiaohongshu and why has this app, among the many TikTok wannabes, stood out?

What is Xiaohongshu – or RedNote?

RedNote first appeared in China back in 2013 as the country’s answer to Instagram. It has a Pinterest-like layout and also incorporates a shop similar to the popular one TikTok features. On the App Store, RedNote is described as a “lifestyle platform” where users can post and find product reviews, with a particular focus on health products.

Xiaohongshu is represented as a bright red app on the store and translates to “Little Red Book” in English. In China, The Little Red Book is also the name for a propaganda book that includes quotes from Mao Zedong, the longtime leader of China’s communist party.

Why are TikTok users flocking to RedNote?

According to many TikTok users who have already begun posting on RedNote, they’re flocking to the app as a form of defiance toward the U.S. government.

President Joe Biden signed a law last April kicking the popular app out of the States, unless ByteDance divests from its U.S. operations. U.S. lawmakers’ concerns with TikTok is that it could double as a spyware app for the Chinese government; TikTok, per Chinese law, is required to share user data if asked to do so.

Many TikTok users are taking to a different Chinese app and using the increasingly popular hashtag “TikTok refugee” as a way to stick it to the government.

“Our government is out of their minds if they think we’re going to stand for this TikTok ban,” Heather Roberts said in a post on RedNote. “We’re just going to a new Chinese app, and here we are.”

What are the big differences between TikTok and RedNote

The most obvious difference between the two apps is that TikTok was designed for an international user base while RedNote was not made for English speakers originally.

RedNote features travel, fashion and makeup as it’s most popular content among it’s over 300 million users. It’s also heavily censored compared to TikTok, leading to content as well as entire accounts being erased without much explanation.

The app’s algorithm also places priority on a user’s interests rather than who they follow. This has led many to applaud RedNote, claiming it’s easier for smaller creators on the app to be featured among the bigger ones and be discovered.

Are there other TikTok replacements available?

RedNote might be the app of the moment for “TikTok refugees” but it’s far from the only one contending to fill the void. Other apps include Lemon8 – which sits at No. 2 in the App Store – Pagent, Likee, Triller and Huddles.

Then there are also the more well-known apps that have implemented TikTok-like features like Instagram Reels and Snapchat.

When will TikTok be banned in the U.S.?

TikTok is set to be banned on Jan. 19. The Supreme Court is currently weighing TikTok’s plea to overturn the law banning the app, but it does not appear likely before Sunday, when the app’s ban date hits.

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