January 24, 2025/Midnight
Erie, Pa.-– As TikTok’s future hangs by a thread, a growing number of American social media users started fleeing to an unexpected alternative: Xiaohongshu.
Last week, the popular Chinese social media app witnessed a surge in users as TikTok’s future remained uncertain in the United States. The “Little Red Book” app (the literal translation of Xiaohongshu), often shortened to “RedNote,” now occupies the top position on Apple’s US App Store.
Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu is a lifestyle–focused social media app that allows users to post short videos and photos. Often described as China’s version of Instagram, the app has successfully transformed into a popular e–commerce platform by incorporating live–streaming and online shopping features. According to Statista, Xiaohongshu is one of the largest social media apps in China, with more than 218 million monthly active users. Despite its prominence in China, the app has recently gained popularity among non–Mandarin–speaking users as TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance.
Many American users have turned to Xiaohongshu in response to Washington’s decisions regarding TikTok’s fate. The sudden migration of self–proclaimed “TikTok refugees” has sparked exchanges between Chinese and American users.
Some new American users are urging other newcomers to respect Chinese users on the platform.
“We want to have fun here, we want to enjoy ourselves, and we want to show respect to the people who are already here,” one user posted. “RedNote, I present to you my cat as a peace offering,” another user wrote in their post, sharing a picture of their cat with the hashtag #tiktokrefugee.
In response, many Chinese users have warmly welcomed these interactions, with some even creating tutorial videos to help “TikTok refugees” navigate the app.
The Xiaohongshu app is a product of Xingin Information Technology, a Shanghai–based company founded by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu. Unlike TikTok, which is tailored for an international audience, Xiaohongshu focuses on the domestic market. Additionally, despite being owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet company, TikTok is not accessible in China, where it has a domestic alternative called Douyin.
In a recent happening, newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75–day extension to comply with a law requiring the sale or ban of the platform, according to the BBC.
In response to the sudden surge, RedNote has introduced a translation feature to help English–speaking users navigate the app. Despite the increase in American users and the app’s efforts to adapt to this trend, experts warn that RedNote could present similar issues as TikTok and might share its fate in the U.S.
“RedNote was never meant for outside of the China market. All of the data sharing and all the servers to which the data is being shared is in China,” said Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert in an interview with CBS News. “It means they are exempt from all of these data protections and outside of the view of the American government.”
