Although it is surrounded by much uncertainty, a possible federal ban on the TikTok app in the United States is said to come into effect on Sunday, 19 January. It was first proposed due to allegations from the United States Congress implying that the Chinese government has ownership and influence over ByteDance — TikTok's parent company.

If this ban does go into effect, Americans will no longer be able to download the app from app stores and TikTok might fully shut down within the country, making the app unusable even if it is pre-downloaded onto a device.

However, nothing has been confirmed regarding the way forward if the law, signed in April of 2024, is upheld. In search of a similar alternative, Americans have now started to download RedNote and on there, they are jokingly being referred to as "TikTok refugees."

media update's Joreke Kleynhans gives you the run-down on RedNote and where this trend could be headed in the future.

 

How RedNote Works

RedNote differs slightly from TikTok, but the premise is highly similar and the app has similar features.

The classic endless scrolling For You page is called the Trending page. Here, users can watch videos that are recommended by an algorithm infinitely, just like on TikTok. There is also a filter for only seeing content from creators you follow.

Videos are in vertical orientation and short-form videos perform best. Additionally, audio clips and effects can be placed over visual content.

Unsurprisingly, since it's a Chinese app, RedNote mostly operates in Chinese language. The three options that are currently available include Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English. Originally, there was no English language option available on the app but quite impressively, within a few days, it was added. 

Users who cannot understand Mandarin are using apps like Google Translate to translate text and speech found in videos. The app also allows for the inclusion of closed captions on videos in different languages.

 

Unlikely Interactions

A positively entertaining side-effect of the great migration to RedNote has been the cultural exchange and unlikely interactions between American and Chinese users. The Chinese population on the app has been generally welcoming towards the new non-Chinese users.

Some Americans have vowed to "learn Chinese" in order to fit in on the app. Chinese users have been learning American social media slang, translating it into their own language and teaching it to their peers online. One example is "give me your data," a popular joke on the platform stemming from the United States's allegation that Americans' data is being mined on TikTok. 

Another comment, "How do you say 'who is this diva' in Mandarin" is being shared across other platforms. And we all know a comment really ate when it's being screenshotted and cross-posted.

Americans are even helping Chinese citizens with their English homework, and the examples of such interactions are endless. If they are all that comes from this event in the social media timeline, it will have been the most wholesome time social media has ever seen!

 

Where This Trend Could Lead

The question on everyone's lips is how long Americans' residency on this app will last, and subsequently, if the rest of the world should follow. The answer is that only time will tell.

The reason is mostly rooted in language barriers and the app's terms of service. 

People are drawn to ease of use when it comes to digital products. We all love apps and websites that are intuitive to navigate and while RedNote is that way, it could be more difficult for anyone who is not skilled in Mandarin. Once the novelty of a new app, new community and new genre of digital comedy subsides, people could possibly begin to look for an app where content is easier to understand.

Alternatively, speakers of different languages could simply find their tribes and stick to them. Different communities, language groups and cultural groups will flock together on RedNote, just like they did on TikTok.

Additionally, the app's terms of service conflict with the values of many Americans. Users have noticed that: 

  • posts surrounding LGBT topics are being removed or censored
  • modesty and nudity rules are much stricter than what they are used to, and
  • topics that they see fit for open discussion are classified as sensitive, resulting in censorship. 

It seems that this trend might be short-lived as long as neither party wants to compromise. If the TikTok refugees are willing to concede some of their preferences or if RedNote is willing to adopt separate terms of service to its new American market, it could result in TikTok being replaced sooner rather than later.

 

Did you enjoy this article? Let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comment section below.

Want to stay up-to-date with the latest news? Subscribe to our newsletter.

Do you love to read about social media trends? Take a trip down memory lane and read Personal Branding Tips from Moo Deng.

*Image courtesy of Canva