With the looming threat of TikTok no longer being accessible in the USA thanks to a potential ban, people are wondering where they will go to get their fun, informative, and quick video hits. In case you aren’t familiar, the US Supreme Court is due to rule on a law that says TikTok must divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19 or it will be banned in the US over supposed national security concerns. Now, it seems the TikTok replacement will be Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, with many people talking about it and flocking to it in recent days.
What Is Xiaohongshu a.k.a. RedNote and Is It Anything Like TikTok?
RedNote/Xiaohongshu was launched in 2013 and soon became one of the fastest growing social media platforms in China. It has a staggering value of $17 billion with 300 million active users monthly. Like TikTok, you can find a little something for everyone there in short video format. There are makeup tutorials, traveling tips, product recommendations, and more. RedNote uses hashtags where people can be sure certain content will make it to a specific feed. The current popular hashtag is #tiktokrefugee, referring to everyone who is making the move to this platform. The name Xiaohongshu translates to “Little Red Book,” which US users are calling RedNote. And yes, much of the app is not in English but people are finding their way through.
Is RedNote Free?
Yes, the RedNote app is free. While many of its prompts are in Mandarin, skilled users are teaching us English speakers a few words on the app.
Is Xiaohongshu a.k.a. RedNote Safe?
Honestly, we cannot answer that question. What we can say is that pretty much any time you are using a website or an app, you are almost certainly consenting to sharing a certain amount of information about yourself as a user. Now how much information RedNote is getting and what is done with it is likely in some kind of fine print. You know, the print that no normal person really reads and, depending on the level of legalese, may not fully comprehend. So, like anything else new you try, use your best judgement.
For now, we will hold our breaths and see what happens with the Chinese social app RedNote and TikTok in the near future.
