TikTok is set to be shut down in the U.S. on Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court delivers a stay of execution. In response, many Americans are searching for alternatives, and some have already said they’ve found the next best thing.
Ironically, it’s another Chinese-owned app: RedNote.
What is RedNote (Xiaohongshu)? In recent days, interest in the Chinese social media app RedNote has skyrocketed, according to Google Trends. Known as “Xiaohongshu” in Mandarin, the app’s name translates to “little red book” and is owned by Xingin Information Technology. In fact, CNN reports that the name could be a cheeky reference to the red book of quotations by Chinese Communist Party founder Mao Zedong.
While some people online have claimed RedNote is the “Chinese TikTok,” the app is more like a mix between Pinterest and Instagram. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, does have a China-only version of its popular video-sharing app, but it’s called Douyin.
What do users do on RedNote? Apparently, it looks like the influx of American users have been griping about the U.S. government banning TikTok with videos, memes, and photos. Considering the topic, it’s unclear how much of this content is organic and how much is propaganda. RedNote is carefully censored in China.
Trolling aside, RedNote is a powerhouse when it comes to its social shopping features, a lucrative segment that TikTok and others have been trying to make take off in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Number one on Apple and Google. On Wednesday, market research firm Sensor Tower reported that RedNote was the most-downloaded app on Apple and Google’s app stores in the U.S. It was followed by another ByteDance app, Lemon8. Funny enough, ByteDance modeled Lemon8, which is also a take on Pinterest and Instagram, off Xiaohongshu. It’s unclear whether Lemon8 will face a fan in the U.S. like its sister app, TikTok.
Is RedNote be here to stay? In its current form, my guess is that it’s unlikely. RedNote isn’t available in English and can be difficult to navigate for English-speakers. While the app is currently a hot topic on the Internet, several users appear to be using it as a form of protest. (To be fair, some Americans are reportedly already learning Mandarin on the app, helping Chinese students with their homework, or bonding over stanning Luigi Mangione).
"It really is just retaliation towards the government in the simplest way, but in a way that feels very native to Gen Z," Meagan Loyst, the founder of Gen Z VCs, told Business Insider.
Image | Xataka On
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