TikTok Ban Looms, US Users Flock to Xiaohongshu
With a potential TikTok ban looming in the US, users are migrating en masse to the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, propelling it to the top of the US app download charts. Calling themselves "TikTok refugees," some users are joining Xiaohongshu as an act of protest against the impending ban. The US Supreme Court is set to rule on a law mandating TikTok divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, by January 19th or face a US ban over national security concerns. After hints the court may uphold the law, a wave of TikTok users created Xiaohongshu accounts, using hashtags like #tiktokrefugee. Xiaohongshu, meaning "Little Red Book," combines e-commerce, short videos, and social media features. Popular in China and among Chinese diaspora communities, it boasts 300 million monthly active users, mainly young women using it as a search engine for product, travel, and restaurant recommendations, as well as beauty tutorials. Many American users openly stated their move to Xiaohongshu was a protest against the potential TikTok ban. Chinese users have generally welcomed the influx of Americans, offering help and advice. Despite Xiaohongshu's surge in popularity, it remains uncertain if it can fully replace TikTok's established ecosystem of e-commerce and advertising.