In protest of the impending ban on TikTok by the U.S. government, Americans have joined the Chinese social networking platform RedNotein and are forming new international relationships.
One RedNote user, identifying himself as Abe, posted a video on the app pleading with the American TikTok refugees to stick with it, saying, “I just want to say it’s so amazing to have you here.” We haven’t really been able to interact or communicate in this way for a long time, but now that we can, it seems extremely unique. We have a great opportunity to get to know one another.
The digital ecosystems of China and the United States have not frequently overlapped due to disputes between their governments. Due to rules and regulations, some companies, such as ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, have developed different apps for the Chinese market and other markets. Many famous U.S. apps, such as Instagram, are prohibited in China.
However, in the last 24 hours, a large number of Americans have signed up for RedNote in response to user outcry over the U.S. government’s proposed TikTok ban, a scenario that many Chinese users claimed they never expected. The number of TikTok refugees who have created accounts on RedNote is impossible to count. Nevertheless, whether in Mandarin, English, or via the use of memes, Chinese users have enthusiastically embraced the new American users.
Many people said that they would join the Chinese app TikTok out of spite on Monday, since the U.S. Supreme Court seemed to be inclined to uphold the statute that would ban the app beginning this Sunday.
The law that outlawed TikTok was prompted by worries about ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government and conjecture that these ties would be exploited to spy on or influence Americans. The law would permit TikTok to stay in the United States after being acquired by a U.S. business. A sale hasn’t occurred yet, though, and analysts say it’s improbable.
Numerous users of Rednote, also known as Xiaohongshu in China and XHS and Little Red Book internationally, publicly ridiculed American security fears. I’m going to download Rednote on my phone, someone wrote in a TikTok post. I’ll allow it to monitor other apps. I’m just going to leave it there after granting it access to my location and all of my contacts.
However, many discovered after downloading the program that they and the Chinese user base had similar senses of humor. One joke that has started making the rounds on TikTok is that if I get banned, people will miss my Chinese spy. A humorous TikTok video about this has received over 10 million views.
Playing along with the joke, several Chinese on Rednote welcomed American users to the app.
Hi there, I’m a spy. One Chinese user commented on an American user’s video, saying, “Please show me your cat.”
Others posted pictures of a statue in China that seemed to be holding the Statue of Liberty.
In a video, one user quipped that he had been waiting a long time for this chance.
Return to China after being screamed at for so long! Return to your homeland! The Chinese user said, “At last, we get a shot.” Return to America! Return to your homeland! I was joking.
Chinese users respectfully asked new American users for help with their English assignments and if the American users would help them practice their English. This was a common joke on the app that is primarily used by Mandarin speakers. Many viewers also requested that Americans add subtitles to their videos so that Mandarin translations could be made.
Oh, you’re learning Mandarin now. You joined the Duolingo language learning app on X.
Additionally, because of cultural differences, videos that openly advocate thinness and maybe harmful eating practices are widespread on RedNote, which may cause culture shock for people who are still using TikTok and RedNote.
The advantages of direct communication between Chinese and Americans were still mentioned by some.
This is the internet, therefore it’s strange that everyone has been so kind to one another, according to a video posted on RedNote by British user Ethereal Games. He went on to say that he believed the TikTok ban was totally undermined by this action taken by RedNote users in the United States.
The nicest thing is that it has totally backfired on the American government since Chinese and American citizens are getting along so well. In his video, he claimed that they were no longer the terrifying Chinese adversary. They are discussing Taylor Swift and exchanging cat memes.
The tone had remained cheerful as the second day of Americans flooding RedNote came to a close, with individuals commenting on the friendly camaraderie of their new social network buddies. Numerous Chinese users expressed their surprise at the volume of engagement with their posts. Some created films merely to remind their new American followers to continue using RedNote and to reintroduce their pages.
Hi there, TikTok pals. XHS welcomes you. Sylvia, a 25-year-old Chinese user who claimed to be based in Shanghai, said, “I’m shocked when I opened this application tonight because I cannot imagine that it will be an international place.” You will all adore it, and I hope you all have a good time while you’re here.
In a video, DWWWWW, another Chinese user, described how crazy it was to have Americans on RedNote. In one video, DWWWWW started using your spy to teach Chinese. In another, he expressed his surprise at the sheer number of Americans who were now following him.
Hello, refugees on TikTok “You guys have me completely overwhelmed today,” DWWWWW stated in the video. This is insanely cool. To check if this is real, I’m uploading it. You can ask me whatever you want about China because I’m Chinese.
Additionally, he clarified for his new followers that this is not the Chinese version of TikTok, so you might be in the wrong location. This is Instagram’s Chinese translation.