As Supreme Court justices deliberate on the future of TikTok in the United States, an increasing number of American social media users are turning to an unexpected alternative: Xiaohongshu, a widely popular app in China.
Known as “Little Red Book” and often shortened to RedNote by US users, the app surged to the top spot on Apple’s US App Store on Tuesday, according to CNN.
Launched in 2013, Xiaohongshu has grown into one of China’s largest social media platforms, boasting 300 million users, according to research firm Qian Gua.
Known as China’s version of Instagram, the app is particularly popular for sharing content related to travel, fashion, and beauty.
While it has largely been confined to the Chinese market, its global reach has been limited—until now.
Xiaohongshu is experiencing a surge in global popularity, coinciding with the possibility of TikTok being banned in the US.
According to San Francisco-based market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, US mobile downloads of Xiaohongshu nearly tripled over the past week compared to the previous seven days, CNN reported.
Within just two days, Xiaohongshu gained more than 700,000 new users, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the company.
As of Wednesday, the hashtag “TikTok refugee” had accumulated nearly 250 million views and over 5.5 million comments. Many American users joined Xiaohongshu in defiance of Washington’s actions against TikTok.
“Our government is out of their minds if they think we’re going to stand for this TikTok ban,” a user called Heather Roberts said in a video message on Xiaohongshu, which has garnered more than 45,000 likes. “We’re just going to a new Chinese app, and here we are.”
“This is so much better than TikTok,” another self-proclaimed “refugee” said in video message. “Americans are coming here … so sorry you’ll hate us, but I promise we’ll do our best.”
The sudden migration of US users to Xiaohongshu has created an unexpected platform for Chinese and American users to interact with one another.
