Rednote App Popularity Surges With TikTok Ban Looming
2025-01-16 09:47:00
The influx of TikTok refugees to Xiaohongshu has become a focal point across the internet, with unprecedented heat! "It feels like being surrounded by foreigners suddenly" has become a common sentiment among an increasing number of Xiaohongshu users. When Chinese netizens open their homepages, they are greeted with an English listening comprehension test akin to CET-4 or CET-6. It feels like they no longer need to trek to the testing center, and mom no longer needs to worry about their English studies. Xiaohongshu has sparked an unprecedented "international wave"! The arrival of TikTok refugees has turned our Xiaohongshu into a melting pot of global cultures overnight.
According to data from Sensor Tower, a mobile app data analytics platform, Xiaohongshu, which ranked eleventh on the US App Store's free apps chart on January 12th, surged to the top the following day. In the US Google Play Store's free apps chart, Xiaohongshu, which was not even listed on January 12th, soared to the first position on January 14th. Simultaneously, it achieved the same remarkable ranking in Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, and many other countries and regions.
However, just as YouTube, Instagram, Meta, X, and other competitors were eagerly anticipating this surge of traffic, this path unexpectedly led to an app from the mysterious East: Xiaohongshu. In one night, Xiaohongshu ventured overseas, and a grand and magical folk exchange between China and the United States began. Xiaohongshu itself didn't foresee that this Chinese-based communication platform would receive such a massive influx of popularity overseas. How did American users, who struggled with Mandarin, suddenly fall in love with Xiaohongshu?
This matter originates from a ban in the United States. According to a U.S. law, ByteDance must divest from TikTok. The 270-day deadline will expire on January 19th. If TikTok cannot be divested or sold by then, it will have to shut down in the United States. TikTok had filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court hoping to obtain an extension previously, but based on the conclusion of a hearing held by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 10th, the original ruling will be upheld.
As the ban on TikTok in the United States approaches its effective date, 170 million American TikTok users are in need of a desirable new platform.
So why is it precisely Xiaohongshu that has become the window to receive TikTok's traffic?
Firstly, Xiaohongshu integrates Instagram's photo sharing and Reddit's community discussion functions, positioning itself as a lifestyle-sharing community. This positioning enables it to attract users who seek authenticity, interaction, and a community atmosphere. Xiaohongshu's user base is mainly young people, with a large proportion of female users aged 18 to 35, which highly overlaps with TikTok's core user group. Xiaohongshu's community culture emphasizes authenticity, interaction, and sharing, allowing users to find resonance and life advice on the platform. This content format is appealing to young people.
Secondly, when TikTok was at its peak of popularity, Xiaohongshu had already enjoyed a small reputation among overseas students and netizens from Hong Kong and Taiwan. When American netizens asked about the Chinese version of TikTok, most people would answer Xiaohongshu instead of Douyin.
In anticipation of this remarkable prosperity, Xiaohongshu has also been working overtime and silently initiating international updates, rapidly renaming its overseas app to RedNote.
The Americans who have just arrived are confronted with a screen full of unfamiliar Chinese characters. First, they successfully overcome the language barrier with the help of the word "cat tax", finding the “expressway” to enter the circle.
Netizens even made a simple and straightforward "communication" guide for the newly arrived "refugees".
Some confused "refugees" who didn't understand asked, "Why do Chinese netizens want to see my cat?" Immediately, enthusiastic netizens came forward to explain, "When meeting someone for the first time, you need to chat about something. What's good to chat about? Chatting about the weather is too cliché. Chatting about pets is loved by everyone, it's a hard 'currency'."
Some American netizens, who didn't have cats at home, eagerly contributed their dogs, rabbits, pigs, and even later, their parrots, white horses, foxes...
Chinese netizens, confronted with a screen filled with flying English text, quickly unlocked the code for high-quality interaction—asking American netizens to help with their English homework, a perfect match for their expertise. Xiaohongshu transformed into a "homework assistant" instantly! Of course, even the Americans themselves were a bit unsure about the accuracy... Soon, the eager-to-learn American netizens reciprocated by sharing their Chinese homework... Eventually, they even compared their payslips.
Some people say that January 14, 2025 is a memorable day, marking the "official establishment of diplomatic relations between Chinese and American netizens."