TikTok customers within the US are migrating to a Chinese language app known as RedNote with the specter of a ban simply days away.
The transfer by customers who name themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote essentially the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Retailer on Monday.
RedNote is a TikTok competitor well-liked with younger individuals in China, Taiwan and different Mandarin-speaking populations.
It has about 300 million month-to-month customers and appears like a mix of TikTok and Instagram. It permits customers, largely younger city ladies, to trade way of life ideas from courting to vogue.
Supreme Courtroom justices are resulting from rule on a legislation that set a 19 January deadline for TikTok to both promote its US operations or face a ban within the nation.
TikTok has repeatedly stated that it’ll not promote its US enterprise and its legal professionals have warned {that a} ban will violate free speech protections for the platform’s 170 million customers within the US.
In the meantime, RedNote has welcomed its new customers with open arms. There are 63,000 posts on the subject “TikTok refugee”, the place new customers are taught how you can navigate the app and how you can use primary Chinese language phrases.
“To our Chinese language hosts, thanks for having us – sorry upfront for the chaos,” a brand new US consumer wrote.
However like TikTok, there have additionally been studies of censorship on RedNote relating to criticism of the Chinese language authorities.
In Taiwan, public officers are restricted from utilizing RedNote resulting from alleged safety dangers of Chinese language software program.
As extra US customers joined RedNote, some Chinese language customers have additionally jokingly referred to themselves as “Chinese language spies”, a reference to US officers’ issues that TikTok may very well be utilized by China as a software for spying and political manipulation.
RedNote’s Chinese language title, Xiaohongshu, interprets to Little Pink Bok, however the app says it isn’t a reference to Chinese language communist chief Mao Zedong’s e book of quotations with the identical title.
However safety issues haven’t deterred customers from flocking to RedNote.
Sarah Fotheringham, a 37-year-old college canteen employee in Utah, says the transfer to RedNote is a strategy to “snub” the federal government.
“I am only a easy individual dwelling a easy life,” Ms Fotheringham advised the BBC in a RedNote message.
“I haven’t got something that China would not, and if they need my information that unhealthy they will have it.”
Marcus Robinson, a designer in Virginia, stated he created his RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothes model and “be forward of the curve”.
Mr Robinson advised the BBC he was was solely “barely hesitant” about accepting the phrases and situations of utilizing the app, which have been written in Mandarin.
“I wasn’t in a position to really learn them in order that was somewhat regarding to me,” he stated, “however I took my likelihood.”
Whereas a ban won’t make TikTok disappear instantly, it should require app shops to cease providing it – which may kill it over time.
However even when TikTok dodges a ban, it could show helpless towards customers transferring to various platforms.
Some social media customers inform the BBC that they discover themselves scrolling on RedNote greater than TikTok.
“Even when TikTok does keep I’ll proceed to make use of my platform I’ve created on RedNote,” Tennessee tech employee Sydney Crawley advised the BBC.
Ms Crawley stated she bought over 6,000 followers inside 24 hours of making her RedNote account.
“I’ll proceed to attempt to construct a following there and see what new connections, friendships, or alternatives it brings me.”
Ms Fotheringham, the canteen employee, stated RedNote “opened my world as much as China and its individuals”.
“I’m now in a position to see issues I by no means would have seen,” she stated. “Common Chinese language individuals, discovering out about their tradition, life, college, every part, it has been a lot enjoyable.”
The neighborhood up to now has been “tremendous welcoming”, stated Mr Robinson, the designer.
“I really like RedNote up to now … I simply have to learn to communicate Mandarin!”
