Manimatana Lee spent the previous 5 years constructing one of many hottest commodities on the web: a bunch of people that reliably watch her movies on TikTok.
She constructed an viewers of almost 10,000 followers with movies of herself vacuuming her home in Wisconsin whereas her youngest daughter napped in a provider on her again. A video of Ms. Lee dancing and doing the dishes — whereas carrying her sleeping child — has been watched multiple million occasions since November.
Now, with the Supreme Court docket soon to rule in a case that would decide whether or not TikTok could possibly be banned in the USA over nationwide safety issues, Ms. Lee and different Americans looking for alternatives are downloading Xiaohongshu, a social media app that’s fashionable in China and little identified outdoors the nation.
“How humorous wouldn’t it be in the event that they ban TikTok and all of us simply transfer over to this Chinese language app,” Ms. Lee wrote on Monday on TikTok encouraging her followers to hitch her.
Xiaohongshu was probably the most downloaded free app within the U.S. Apple retailer on Tuesday. Over 300 million individuals, principally in China, use the app, the place they share quick movies in addition to nonetheless, text-based posts. Folks flocking to it mentioned, in interviews and on the app, that they needed to point out they don’t share Washington’s issues about TikTok’s ties to China.
TikTok, which is out there in additional than 150 nations however not China, is owned by the Chinese language web firm ByteDance. American creators who publish movies on TikTok say the app has been a supply of connection, leisure and data because it turned a sensation in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its secret sauce is its proprietary algorithm, know-how that recommends a continuing stream of quick movies focused to maintain individuals scrolling.
However lawmakers in the United States and other countries have warned that the Chinese language authorities may use TikTok to entry information about its customers resembling location and searching histories. Officers in Washington say they’re additionally involved that China may use TikTok to unfold false data among the many 170 million individuals who use it in the USA.
Xiaohongshu means “little pink e-book” in Mandarin. Individuals new to the app mentioned they weren’t postpone by the reference to a e-book of Mao Zedong’s sayings. Many name the app “Purple Be aware.”
“I don’t actually care if I’m utilizing a Chinese language app in any respect,” mentioned Ms. Lee. “It’s like a spot for me to flee actuality. And if it’s making me really feel good, I’m right here for it.”
A gaggle of American creators have sued the government over the regulation that would see the TikTok app forcibly offered or banned in the USA, and TikTok is paying their authorized charges. Ms. Lee and one other creator mentioned in interviews that their curiosity in Xiaohongshu had not been incentivized by both firm. TikTok didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The Individuals on Xiaohongshu have rallied underneath the hashtag “TikTokrefugee,” which had been seen 100 million occasions and sparked round 2.5 million dialogue threads on the app by Tuesday.
Becoming a member of the app has put American customers in nearer contact with individuals on-line in China than they’ve ever been on TikTok. In China, individuals use Douyin, a really related app that ByteDance used to develop the know-how that made TikTok a worldwide hit. Douyin is troublesome to entry outdoors China.
Many shared recommendations on how one can navigate the app, which is principally made for and utilized by individuals who learn and communicate Mandarin. Some took screenshots and requested ChatGPT to translate posts, they mentioned.
Xiaohongshu shows the town or province of Chinese language customers who publish and remark, and the nation for customers outdoors China. “We’re coming to the Chinese language spies and begging them to allow us to keep right here,” mentioned one American person. “Authorised, welcome to Purple Be aware,” somebody in Shanghai replied.
Till late December, 85 % of Xiaohongshu site visitors was from China, in keeping with Similarweb, a knowledge supplier and web site site visitors tracker. The app is particularly fashionable amongst girls of their 20s and 30s, and its lengthy remark threads have grow to be a preferred supply of knowledge for individuals to swap questions on on a regular basis issues, much like Reddit.
Xiaohongshu didn’t reply to requests for remark.
On Tuesday, greater than 100,000 individuals had joined a dwell group chat hosted by a person named “TikTok Refugee Membership,” the place individuals from all over the world chatted with Chinese language customers about city security. In one other group chat, which had been seen greater than 30,000 occasions, contributors mentioned censorship and shared ideas within the feedback on how one can keep away from being banned from the platform for citing politically delicate matters.
Beneath one other video posted by somebody who mentioned they had been often on TikTok, a person in China responded with a meme of a cat with paws outstretched. “I’m your Chinese language spy,” the remark mentioned, “give me all of your information.”
