Shanghai-based Xiaohongshu becomes a haven ahead of Supreme Court decision, with users welcoming American arrivals. — SCMP
TikTok users fleeing the ByteDance-owned social platform ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on its future sent a rival Chinese app to the top of Apple’s charts in the US on Jan 13.
While the exact number of downloads is unknown, the Apple store put Xiaohongshu – which does not have an official English name but means “little red book” – as the No. 1 free-to-use social media platform across all free iPhone apps in the US.
The exodus of “TikTok refugees” has been spurred by mounting concerns over the app’s fate in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments, in which the justices seemed to be inclining towards national security over free speech.
Many of TikTok’s American users began to anticipate a potential ban of the platform, fearing that the app’s Chinese ownership would become a critical point in the court’s decision.
US influencer Nuha – who has more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok and about 135,000 on Instagram – is among those signing up for Xiaohongshu’s blend of ecommerce and user-generated content.
“Hi guys, TikTok refugee here. I am so nervous to be on this app but I also find it to be really exciting and thrilling that we are all doing this,” said Nuha, in her first video posted to Xiaohongshu on Sunday.
Nuha, who posts primarily about pop culture and entertainment news, said that she was “sad that TikTok might actually go but if this is where we’re going to be hanging out, welcome to my page” and added the tag #TikTokRefugee.
The influencer also uploaded a tutorial on TikTok on how to create an account on Xiaohongshu, where she has so far gained about 17,500 followers.
Sarah Schauer urged her more than two million followers on TikTok to follow up their downloading of Xiaohongshu – which she called Rednote – with a small purchase from China.
“They want to ban TikTok because they make a lot of money ... but if you download Rednote as a replacement for TikTok, when you get on that app buy something,” she said in a video posted on Sunday.
“We need not only (a) download spike, but also we need financial spikes, right. You have a week until this all gets banned. Just buy something small from China,” Schauer said.
Candacce, a Los Angeles-based TikTok user with more than 450,000 followers, has also signed up for Xiaohongshu, posting that she would “rather stare at a language I can’t understand than to ever use a social media that Mark Zuckerberg owns”.
Shanghai-based Xiaohongshu was launched in 2013 as China’s answer to Instagram, reaching nearly 300 million active users by December 2023, with 50% aged 15 to 28.
Its investors include Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post, along with Tencent, Temasek, GSR Ventures, ZhenFund, HongShan, and DST Global.
The app lets users discover, discuss, and shop for products – a feature that may be attractive for the small businesses that have thrived on TikTok.
Paul Tran – one of eight co-petitioners with TikTok and ByteDance – shared his experience as the owner of a small skincare brand based in Atlanta, Georgia at a press conference last week following the oral arguments in the Supreme Court.
“Our story embodies the American dream. My wife and I built Love & Pebble from the ground up using TikTok to share our passion and connect with people, with Americans all over the country – something no other platform has allowed us to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chinese users on Xiaohongshu are leaving welcoming messages in English and Mandarin on the videos posted by the US migrants from TikTok as they take their first steps on the platform.
“I have no idea what anyone on this app is saying, but y’all seem pretty chill. So I am gonna go download Duolingo and I’m gonna get back to you on that,” said another US user in a video posted to Xiaohongshu on Monday.
The user, who goes by the name “yonsidelucas”, tagged the post #TikTokRefugee – a platform where he has more than 250,000 followers – and picked up a following of more than 1,200 on Xiaohongshu in the first few hours after posting.
“Welcome, American friends to Xiaohongshu,” one Chinese user wrote in English on the platform, while another said that “(you) can learn real local Mandarin here instead of Duolingo”. – South China Morning Post
