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 practically 10,000 followers with movies of herself vacuuming her home in Wisconsin whereas her youngest daughter napped in a service on her again. A video of Ms. Lee dancing and doing the dishes — whereas sporting her sleeping child — has been watched a couple of million occasions since November.
Now, with the Supreme Court docket soon to rule in a case that would decide whether or not TikTok might be banned in america over nationwide safety considerations, Ms. Lee and different Americans looking for alternatives are downloading Xiaohongshu, a social media app that’s well-liked in China and little recognized exterior 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 essentially the most downloaded free app within the U.S. Apple retailer on Tuesday. Over 300 million folks, largely in China, use the app, the place they share brief movies in addition to nonetheless, text-based posts. Individuals flocking to it mentioned, in interviews and on the app, that they wished to point out they don’t share Washington’s considerations about TikTok’s ties to China.
TikTok, which is offered in additional than 150 international locations 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 grew to become a sensation throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Its secret sauce is its proprietary algorithm, know-how that recommends a relentless stream of brief movies focused to maintain folks 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 corresponding to location and looking histories. Officers in Washington say they’re additionally involved that China may use TikTok to unfold false info among the many 170 million individuals who use it in america.
Xiaohongshu means “little pink e book” in Mandarin. People new to the app mentioned they weren’t delay 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 bunch of American creators have sued the government over the legislation that would see the TikTok app forcibly offered or banned in america, 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 People on Xiaohongshu have rallied below 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 folks on-line in China than they’ve ever been on TikTok. In China, folks use Douyin, a really comparable app that ByteDance used to develop the know-how that made TikTok a worldwide hit. Douyin is troublesome to entry exterior China.
Many shared recommendations on the best way to 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 exterior China. “We’re coming to the Chinese language spies and begging them to allow us to keep right here,” mentioned one American person. “Permitted, welcome to Purple Be aware,” somebody in Shanghai replied.
Till late December, 85 p.c of Xiaohongshu site visitors was from China, in response to Similarweb, a knowledge supplier and web site site visitors tracker. The app is very well-liked amongst ladies of their 20s and 30s, and its lengthy remark threads have turn into a preferred supply of knowledge for folks to swap questions on on a regular basis considerations, just like Reddit.
Xiaohongshu didn’t reply to requests for remark.
On Tuesday, greater than 100,000 folks had joined a dwell group chat hosted by a person named “TikTok Refugee Membership,” the place folks from world wide 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 the best way to keep away from being banned from the platform for citing politically delicate matters.
Underneath one other video posted by somebody who mentioned they have 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.”
