US 'TikTok Refugees' Flock to Chinese App RedNote, Marking New Phase of Digital Cold War

Social media giant TikTok is preparing to shut down its app in the United States this Sunday – the day that legislation signed by President Joe Biden last year banning the app takes effect.

There's a small probability that this drama will not play out if the US Supreme Court agrees to hear an eleventh-hour legal challenge filed by ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, that the ban is unconstitutional or if ByteDance sells off its US business.

But the 170 million users of TikTok in the US aren't taking any chances. Many self-described "TikTok refugees" have begun to flee to alternative social media sites, mocking the alleged security concerns on TikTok in the process. "Goodbye to my Chinese spy" has become a new TikTok trend.

The most popular alternative that has emerged is the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English. On January 13, the app reached number one in the US Apple App Store, attracting more than 700,000 new users.

This mass digital migration of social media users marks a new phase in the ongoing digital cold war between the US and China. However, there are many questions about whether RedNote, or any other alternative platform for that matter, will be a viable, long-term refuge for US TikTok users if the ban goes ahead.

What is RedNote?

Owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology and founded in 2013, RedNote is a lifestyle, social networking, and e-commerce site focused on the Chinese language. Hybrid in style - part Instagram and part Pinterest, with approximately 300 million monthly active users. The majority are based in China.