With TikTok’s imminent ban, creators are actively seeking alternatives. Many have transitioned to competing platforms like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. However, the Chinese app Xiaohongshu, known as Red Note, has unexpectedly gained popularity among American users.
While Red Note primarily served Chinese users, it has seen a significant influx of American users this week, achieving the top spot on the App Store for two consecutive days. Lemon8, another Chinese app owned by ByteDance, follows closely behind. These apps showcase a blend of Chinese and American content creators, highlighting diverse interests.
The long-term viability of Red Note and Lemon8 for American users remains uncertain, as they face similar regulatory challenges as TikTok. Their recent rise, however, indicates a strong desire for a new social media platform, a skepticism towards TikTok’s American competitors, and a dissatisfaction with the perceived paternalistic nature of the ban.
“It was partly a protest—and I also wanted to be an early adopter,” explains Christina Shuler, a small business owner who joined Red Note this week. “Hopefully, I can contribute to a shift in how the government views this situation.”
TikTok’s Ban
The impending TikTok shutdown is a result of a congressional bill passed last year, mandating ByteDance to either sell TikTok by January 19th or face a U.S. ban. TikTok challenged the law, claiming a free speech violation, but the Supreme Court expressed doubt about their arguments. Given ByteDance’s refusal to sell, the ban is expected to take effect on Sunday. (The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Chinese officials have discussed the possibility of allowing Elon Musk to invest in or manage the company’s U.S. operations.)
Many users are establishing presences on other platforms. American companies have anticipated this shift; for example, Snap recently unveiled a new ad feature for creators’ videos.
Red Note and Lemon8 are currently the primary beneficiaries. Red Note, established in 2013 as an online shopping guide, transitioned to a social media and e-commerce platform. With over 300 million users, it features Mandarin-speaking content creators sharing travel experiences, beauty tutorials, animal videos, and language lessons. Red Note also incorporates a live online marketplace, a prevalent feature in Asia but less so in the U.S. While some new users note a possible allusion to Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book, the company denies any connection between the names.
Prior to this week, American Red Note users included musicians like John Legend and Mariah Carey aiming to reach the Chinese market. This week, a wave of TikTok creators announced their migration to Red Note, encouraging their followers to join them.
Marcus Robinson, a 29-year-old fashion designer, created a Red Note account to showcase his thrifting adventures and promote his clothing line, P-13. He previously had 21,000 TikTok followers, with an estimated 40% of his sales originating from that platform. “I expected to continue building my business and eventually make a living from it,” he explains.
Robinson discovered Red Note on TikTok, created an account, and started posting. Within 36 hours, he gained nearly 10,000 followers and 22,000 likes. He interacts with his Mandarin-speaking followers using translations and captions provided by CapCut, a ByteDance-owned AI video editing app. “I believe my brand will grow much faster here than on TikTok,” he says. “They’re requesting clothes, asking me to model. Everything is taking off right now.”
Shuler, a 32-year-old woodworker from South Carolina, previously earned income from TikTok through brand partnerships, the Creator Rewards program, and product commissions. Her video, announcing herself as a TikTok refugee and demonstrating how to install a sliding barn door, received 10,000 likes. “Everyone here is so positive and supportive,” she notes. Other videos using the hashtag “TikTokrefugee” have accumulated 100 million views.
Shuler reports that her Red Note posts outperform those on Instagram and Facebook. “Unless you pay Meta to promote your posts, they don’t get much visibility—so I’ve seen a significant drop in engagement on both platforms,” she explains. “And Facebook is just full of angry people. It’s refreshing to be on Red Note and have my content appreciated.”
Shuler mentions learning some Mandarin phrases through the app. Neither she nor Robinson express significant concern about data privacy issues associated with Chinese apps. “If you’ve already bought from Temu or Shein, I think they likely already have any data they want,” she states.
Red Note’s popularity might be short-lived. Some users worry about potential censorship of political, sexual, or LGBTQ-related content. Red Note also faces a potential ban: While Congress’s Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act targets TikTok and other ByteDance apps, it also encompasses other “foreign adversary controlled applications.”
“Nobody thinks Red Note is a long-term replacement,” commented one Redditor on Monday. “This is a protest; a middle finger to the US government and their billionaire masters.”