TikTok refugees switch to RedNote amid US ban concerns Leave a comment

When TikTok went down, RedNote appeared like the proper backup—till customers hit a wall with its strict guidelines.

Just a few days after TikTok briefly went offline after which made a fast comeback within the US, individuals who had deleted the app tried to reinstall it—solely to comprehend it was nonetheless unavailable. As a substitute of their regular feed, they received a pop-up message saying a legislation had banned TikTok within the US and that “President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace.” That’s when the time period “TikTok refugees” began popping up.

With TikTok out of the image, many customers rushed to RedNote (Xiaohongshu), one other Chinese language social media app. However making the swap hasn’t been as straightforward as they hoped.

It didn’t take lengthy for some customers to begin feeling annoyed with RedNote’s strict censorship guidelines, that are much more intense than what they’re used to. Even so, the app skyrocketed to the highest of the US Apple App Retailer for a day. However what’s subsequent? Might RedNote change TikTok, or is it only a momentary repair? Let’s break it down.

RedNote censorship

Not like TikTok, which separates its Chinese language model from the worldwide one, RedNote gives a single platform for everybody. This makes it simpler for customers from completely different international locations to attach and work together on-line.

However, whereas RedNote creates a shared expertise, it additionally enforces strict content material guidelines. The web isn’t at all times the friendliest place—you’ll run into impolite feedback and other people taking patriotism too far. Having clear censorship guidelines is sensible, however RedNote takes issues additional. The platform tightly controls subjects like politics, medicine, and sexuality, setting even harder limits than comparable social networks.

One Tiktok refugee received annoyed when RedNote eliminated his higher physique photograph. He questioned why he couldn’t share fitness footage exhibiting his abs, saying TikTok and Instagram by no means gave him this drawback.

One other newcomer, who identifies as non-binary, noticed their submit eliminated after asking if RedNote welcomes LGBTQ+ individuals. In the meantime, Chinese language customers found creative ways to work round these restrictions. For instance, @NerudaLingChinese suggests utilizing hashtags like #le for lesbians and #T for tomboys.

Does VPN work for TikTok?

US TikTok customers attempting to get across the ban with VPNs aren’t having a lot luck. It seems like TikTok has put additional measures in place to dam entry for Individuals.

Apparently, if TikTok detects you’re within the US or utilizing an account made there, it received’t allow you to in. My good friend within the US tried utilizing NordVPN, and it didn’t work for him.

Nobody’s precisely certain how TikTok is implementing the ban, however the truth that VPNs aren’t working is fascinating—particularly since they labored when India banned the app.

Why is Xiaohongshu so standard?

Although Xiaohongshu is an enormous hit in China—the corporate has stayed fairly below the radar. The truth is, it hasn’t up to date its English-language information web page in years.

Not too long ago, although, Xiaohongshu’s downloads within the US have practically tripled. Celebrities are leaping on board too. Canadian rapper bbno$ is posting. Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s mother, already has greater than 600,000 followers on the platform, the place she shares life-style and vogue content material. She ceaselessly visits China after signing a take care of the electronics big Oppo to signify its flagship smartphone globally.

So, what’s drawing Individuals in? Xiaohongshu lets customers share quick movies and textual content posts that usually spark lengthy, Reddit-style remark threads. Like TikTok, it makes use of a sensible algorithm to suggest content material and preserve customers engaged. It’s straightforward to see why individuals are spending a lot time on it.

Parting ideas

Whether or not Xiaohongshu stays standard within the US or will get overtaken by different apps relies on how shortly they make the platform user-friendly for English audio system. In addition they want to determine deal with English content material.

Over the weekend, Xiaohongshu added a characteristic that lets translate posts and feedback between Mandarin and English.

On the identical time, I seen job listings from Chinese language tech outsourcing firms. They’re searching for content material moderators to handle the flood of English posts and movies being uploaded.

Total, the thought behind the platform is fairly fascinating. By combining Reddit and TikTok options, it may entice lots of TikTok refugees, and past. For extra updates, take a look at Gadget Movement’s tech news section!