TikTok is close to being banned in the United States, and users have found a solution to it to flock to an alternative app that offers an almost similar experience to another Chinese social media app, RedNote or Xiaohongshu. However, reports revealed that the app is not as welcoming as its massive rival all these years ago, as RedNote has a problem with "TikTok refugees" and wants to separate them from Chinese users.
If it were not for the US government and its TikTok ban, RedNote would not be as globally popular as it is now. However, the platform allegedly does not care about that and still wants to separate US users and foreigners from locals.
RedNote Segregates US Users, TikTok Refugees From Chinese
A new post on the r/TikTokCringe subreddit (via ArsTechnica) argued that Americans ruined the new rising star in the social media world, RedNote, for Chinese Americans who rely on the app for the latest developments from mainland China. The user posted a video explaining how the surge of new users is not exactly a good thing for RedNote as newcomers are disrupting the platform's previous environment.
It was revealed that RedNote has been the haven for Chinese Americans and other users from China who are now based in other countries to stay updated on the news and culture of the mainland.
However, because of TikTok's ban, the influx of new users is already wreaking havoc on the Chinese experience, with the Redditor regarding that RedNote already released an update in the Greater China region that separates foreign IPs, mostly US users or TikTok refugees, from those in the East Asian country.
The Massive Growth of RedNote Because of TikTok Ban
Despite the massive growth RedNote faced because of the United States ban against TikTok, the platform may not be appreciating the surge of users joining it as the alternative to shutting down the app. It is important to note that RedNote gained global fame because of this looming TikTok ban as users searched for the next Chinese social media, which provides a similar experience.
TikTok is Facing a Ban That Will Take Effect This Weekend
There is no denying that TikTok is on its last legs, with the United States and its Foreign Adversary law breathing down on ByteDance's neck as it is set to ban the social media this Sunday, January 19. The social media platform worked on hindering the US from effecting its ban by filing its lawsuits and other bids to delay it until Donald J. Trump is inaugurated but to no avail.
It is known that the United States gave TikTok six months to divest ByteDance and become an independent entity in its operations in the country. Still, the platform refused to part ways with its parent company. Before TikTok wanted to fight against the United States by evoking the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which talks about freedom of speech, but they failed to defend their case when given a chance in court.
Now, the United States and TikTok are only counting the days until the law's deadline. However, there are still options for the platform, with one reverting to the mandate of divesting ByteDance and the other is the Biden administration's decision to delay it until Trump is seated. However, many have already flocked to RedNote and called themselves TikTok refugees. Still, these users are set to be separated from the Chinese users to preserve the culture that was already established on the mainland.
