Social Media Revolution: US users flock to speak and combine cultures

Social Media Revolution: US users flock to speak and combine cultures

While the judges of the Supreme Court are thinking about the future of Tikkok in the United States, more and more American social media users are reacting by changing to an unexpected alternative: Xiaohongshu, an extremely popular social media app in China.

popularity of Xiaohongshu

The app, the name of which means "small red book" and is often shortened by US users to talk, the top position in Apple's US app store conquered on Tuesday. Xiaohongshu was founded in 2013 and, according to the research company Qian Gua, is part of China's largest social media platforms with 300 million users. Often described as China's answer to Instagram, the app has established itself in particular for sharing tips, makeup and fashion.

a new trend in the USA

In the same week, in which Tikok may go offline in the USA, Xiaohongshu is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. The app's mobile downloads in the United States have almost tripled last week, compared to the seven days earlier, according to the San Francisco-based market intelligence company Sensor Tower. Within just two days, over 700,000 new users of Xiaohongshu have joined, Reuters reported, citing a person from the company.

reactions of the users

On Wednesday, the hashtag "Tikkok refugee" had collected almost 250 million views and over 5.5 million comments. Many American users have joined Tikok's measures despite against the measures of the government. "Our government has lost the mind when it thinks we'll come to terms with this TIKTOK ban," said a user named Heather Roberts in a video message on Xiaohongshu, which has received more than 45,000 likes. "We simply switch to a new Chinese app, and here we are." Another self -proclaimed "refugee" expressed: "This is so much better than TikKok. The Americans come here ... I'm sorry that you may not like us, but I promise we will do our best."

interaction between Chinese and American users

The sudden migration of US users to Xiaohongshu has created an unexpected platform on which Chinese and American users can interact with each other. Some Americans have asked their compatriots to respect users from China. "A short message to the American users who come here: Please do not bring politics here. We want to have fun and show respect for the people who are already here," posted one user.

historical exchange

Most Chinese users warmly welcomed the newcomers. Some even shared video tutorials to help the new "Tikkok refugee" to find their way around the app. "That could be a historical moment," commented a Chinese user. "It feels like so much has changed at a moment. Ordinary people from our two countries have never really connected ... I hope everyone can take this short opportunity to exchange meaningful ideas."

differences between Xiaohongshu and Tiktok

Xiaohongshu was not developed for English -language users, while Tikkok is completely not available in China. The name Xiaohongshu could be seen as a humorous allusion to a red book by Mao Zedong, the founding father of the Communist China. One of the main features of the app includes an algorithm that focuses on the interests of users instead of the people they follow. Some users report that this could lead to more original content and reduce the dominance of powerful influencers. The company behind the app, Xingin Information Technology, was founded by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Quar and is based in Shanghai. Tikok belongs to the Chinese internet company bytedance and was developed for a global audience. Tikkok is also not available in China, where a sister app called Douyin serves the domestic market.

Alternative apps for US users

Another app that attracts US users is Lemon8, a lifestyle community app that is also in possession of bytedance and is currently downloaded the second pair of downloaded app in the US app store. Lemon8 has similar video sharing functions like TikTok. The app was first introduced in the United States in 2023 and it is unclear whether the impending ban on Tikok could also endanger Lemon8's activities in the United States, since a law adopted last year states that the Divest-OR-BAN request will normally apply to all apps operated by Bytedance.

This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Simone McCarthy and Yuri Liu contributed to reporting.