TikTok customers within the US are migrating to a Chinese language app referred to as RedNote with the specter of a ban simply days away.
The transfer by customers who name themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote probably the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Retailer on Monday.
RedNote is a TikTok competitor standard with younger folks in China, Taiwan and different Mandarin-speaking populations.
It has about 300 million month-to-month customers and appears like a mixture of TikTok and Instagram. It permits customers, largely younger city girls, to trade way of life ideas from courting to style.
Supreme Courtroom justices are on account of 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 mentioned 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 the right way to navigate the app and the right way to use fundamental Chinese language phrases.
“To our Chinese language hosts, thanks for having us – sorry prematurely for the chaos,” a brand new US person wrote.
However like TikTok, there have additionally been studies of censorship on RedNote in terms of criticism of the Chinese language authorities.
In Taiwan, public officers are restricted from utilizing RedNote on account of 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’ considerations that TikTok could possibly be utilized by China as a software for spying and political manipulation.
RedNote’s Chinese language identify, Xiaohongshu, interprets to Little Crimson E book, however the app says it isn’t a reference to Chinese language communist chief Mao Zedong’s guide of quotations with the identical identify.
However safety considerations 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 option to “snub” the federal government.
“I am only a easy individual residing a easy life,” Ms Fotheringham instructed the BBC in a RedNote message.
“I haven’t got something that China does not, and if they need my information that unhealthy they will have it.”
Marcus Robinson, a designer in Virginia, mentioned he created his RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothes model and “be forward of the curve”.
Mr Robinson instructed 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 truly learn them in order that was a little bit regarding to me,” he mentioned, “however I took my likelihood.”
Whereas a ban is not going to make TikTok disappear instantly, it’ll require app shops to cease providing it – which might 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 instructed the BBC.
Ms Crawley mentioned she obtained 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, mentioned RedNote “opened my world as much as China and its folks”.
“I’m now in a position to see issues I by no means would have seen,” she mentioned. “Common Chinese language folks, discovering out about their tradition, life, college, every little thing, it has been a lot enjoyable.”
The group to this point has been “tremendous welcoming”, mentioned Mr Robinson, the designer.
“I like RedNote to this point … I simply have to learn to communicate Mandarin!”
