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Following the Supreme Court’s decision to ban the worldwide popular app TikTok, which will begin on January 19, users and creators alike have struggled to come to terms with the news. Despite creators having to figure out new avenues to create their content and monetize it, users have already found what is thought to be the app’s successor: RedNote. RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, is very similar to TikTok, serving as a short-form video social media and e-commerce platform. Besides that, the app was virtually unknown before the month leading up to TikTok’s ban in the United States.
However, it hasn’t bypassed anyone that a Chinese company develops the app. Because TikTok is being banned due to allegations that the company is stealing Americans’ privacy data, why are users flocking to it, making it the most downloaded free social media app on the Apple App Store?
What’s Going On With TikTok?
TikTok was developed by ByteDance, a Chinese company that curated one of the most compelling social media platforms, focusing on short-form videos. The app gained popularity worldwide and has contributed to helping people from different countries create content and deliver it to those who find it enjoyable. It has an impressive algorithm that can show you interesting videos that loosely relate to your previously liked videos despite you never actively searching for that topic. I’ve caught myself watching videos of Irish woodworkers carving their tools despite never actively searching for them more times than I’d like to admit. Now, I love it (no one can make me hate you, @pintofplane).
Since the peak of the app’s popularity in 2020, when users were locked in their homes due to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, TikTok has come under scrutiny for various data and privacy violations. Realistically, that isn’t the problem. The problem is that the app has spawned viral trends and celebrity creators who have lent their voices to different causes, specifically political movements. As a result, those who follow those particular causes or celebrities on the platform are exposed to more left-wing beliefs, which go against many of the laws and policies imposed by the current state of the American government.
Some of these trends have also proven to be outright dangerous, either severely harming or killing those who dare try them. No, I’m not talking about viral dances; I’m talking about the ones involving performing stunts, eating things you shouldn’t, and pulling life-threatening pranks. I love TikTok, but I can see an issue among children who use it unsupervised.
Okay, enough with all that serious stuff. TikTok is home to one of the most significant and entertaining social media platforms ever. Despite not necessarily taking part in everything explained above, I’ll definitely miss scrolling my For You page to see posts by @turtlewithhat and @worldoftshirts. Let’s hope they switch to RedNote for some of their fan base.
What is RedNote?
Since the TikTok ban was exclusively directed toward developer ByteDance and their involvement in supposedly leaking private data, it doesn’t apply to other Chinese social media companies. TikTok was a massive force in getting videos in front of viewers quickly, whether for entertainment or to sell something. RedNote, which Xingyin Information Technology owns in Shanghai, works very similarly.
The only difference is that its user base is primarily influencers and those who like to talk about and share reviews of products. Of course, that can change over time. Remember, TikTok was once musical.ly, a platform primarily for sharing dancing and lip-syncing videos, before changing its name and becoming the force we know today. RedNote can very well become a more social platform if TikTok actually gets banned, especially since TikTok has lately become a hub for influencers to try and sell you different products to gain a commission.
Unfortunately, the app has had its fair share of controversies, dating back to 2021. These controversies involved the app condoning heavily filtered and stylized photography, which caused issues with other users believing those images to be real. Most recently, in 2022, the app went under fire for failing to remove material considered harmful to minors. Realistically, all those things make RedNote sound like TikTok written in a different font.
So, are people jumping the boat and joining RedNote? It depends on the user; I personally haven’t made an account with RedNote. I also don’t know anyone using the app to comfortably say that I would routinely check it like other social media. If the app grows more in the United States due to the ban, then I’ll consider it. However, I’ve seen several TikTok videos stating that those looking to find a social platform similar to TikTok have found a home in it. It also happens to be an app that doesn’t have an active ban against it.
