One of the first countries banning TikTok is India, in 2020. When the app started being extremely popular among the social media users. This resulted in the creation of some apps that had the goal to replace the most famous Chinese app on the market, like Moj and Chingari. These Indian apps and the rise in popularity of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts demonstrated how users’ demand for short-form video has been rising in popularity and is now requested in most of the entertainment social media apps (Time, 2024; Garg, 2023).
It is often heard how Western Countries are questioning if TikTok should be regulated or even banned due to privacy concerns. However the only Western Country that actually nationally fully bans it is the U.S in early 2025, to protect Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Application App (POFACA). The country forced ByteDance, which is the company that owns TikTok, to either divest the app or to face federal ban (Reuters, 2025a). Since the extreme popularity has been extremely stable for the past years since the COVID-19 quarantine, many users started looking for backup platforms where it could be still possible to share and post short-video content. Some of the users found a substitute in Western platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube (Reuters 2024; AP News, 2025). However, millions of users opted for the Chinese app Xiaohongshu which is mainly known internationally as “Red Note” (Reuters 2025b).
Red Note gained around 3 millions American users in just one day and downloads were up by 200% (Reuters 2025b).
Interestingly, many American users joined Rednote as a form of protest to the ban while others just joined to preserve their audience. The American users proclaimed themself as “TikTok refugees” using hashtags. Since American TikTok content is among the most popular within the app, other nationalities decided to join the app hoping to keep seeing American content.
The reasons why Americans choose this app apart as a form of protest is due to the similarity that the format the app promotes. The main content focuses on lifestyle, reviews, shopping and authentic storytelling (Forbes, 2025; Proton, 2025).
Despite the similarities, the app was not a perfect substitute. Although, the moderators translated content as more foreign users joined the app, the app was still not as English friendly as Tiktok. In addition, new users had different expectations about the app while the app is actually very controlled especially in some certain topics such as politics (Reuters 2025c).
The U.S. policymakers banned the app due to privacy concerns and access of data from the Chinese authorities. However, the American government realized that the situation created led to another issue: users shifting to an app which is even more aligned with Chinese regulations and government (Forbes, 2025; DFRLab, 2025).
Finally, the TikTok ban lasted only for about a day and quickly most of the “refugees” left Rednot since most of the content is targeted towards China and the app feels more like an hybrid content and commerce model compared to the never ending short video scroll of TikTok (Axios, 2025; TechCrunch, 2025). The reaction of many Chinese users was welcoming towards the internationalization of the app while others feared that the U.S. users would bring up sensitive topics such that could draw the scrutiny of regulators (Reuters 2025c).
As a user from both platforms, I am happy that most of the new users that initially thought of RedNote as a replacement left the app since I have noticed that the content that I was interested in and as a consequence algorithm was highly modified with the new users joining. Even though the platforms share similarities, the content is quite different and especially focused on Chinese taste. However, from the point of view of Chinese users, I think that they might have enjoyed some new international content showing on RedNote since most of the Western content is either banned or restricted by the government.
References:
AP News. (2025, January 14). A TikTok ban is just days away. A list of other apps available. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/49af1bfd2a1543a09b327544c380f217
Axios. (2025, January 13). TikTok ban timeline. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2025/01/13/tiktok-ban-timeline
DFRLab. (2025, February 24). What the TikTok ban and Xiaohongshu’s brief popularity reveal. Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab. https://dfrlab.org/2025/02/24/tiktok-xiaohongshu-rednote-us-china/
Forbes. (2025, January 17). With a TikTok ban imminent, RedNote is emerging as a top alternative. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbbrandon/2025/01/17/with-a-tiktok-ban-imminent-rednote-is-emerging-as-a-top-alternative/
Garg, S. (2023). Unpacking the impact of the TikTok ban on local content creators and the rise of Indian social media apps. In Social Media and Society in India (pp. 66–72). University of Michigan. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/177335
Proton. (2025, January 19). TikTok ban: Switching to RedNote? Your privacy is at stake. Proton. https://proton.me/blog/tiktok-ban-rednote-privacy-concerns
Reuters. (2024, December 7). U.S. TikTok content creators warn followers to find them on Instagram, YouTube. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-tiktok-content-creators-warn-followers-find-them-instagram-youtube-2024-12-07/
Reuters. (2025a, January 6). What happens after the TikTok ban? Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/what-happens-after-tiktok-ban-2025-01-06/
Reuters. (2025b, January 16). Chinese app RedNote gained millions of U.S. users in one day as ‘TikTok refugees’ joined. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinese-app-rednote-gained-millions-us-users-this-week-tiktok-refugees-joined-2025-01-16/
Reuters. (2025c, January 15). China gives wary welcome to influx of ‘TikTok refugees’ to RedNote. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-gives-wary-welcome-influx-tiktok-refugees-rednote-2025-01-15/
TechCrunch. (2025, January 24). U.S. users dumped RedNote after Trump paused TikTok ban. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/24/us-users-dumped-rednote-after-trump-paused-the-tiktok-ban/
Time. (2024, July 9). Here’s what happened when India banned TikTok in 2020. Time. https://time.com/7208112/what-happened-when-india-banned-tiktok/
Hi Ester, nice post! The sudden rise in popularity of Rednote was such a fascinating example of consumer behaviour in action. It really shows how users can quickly move from platform to platform as a response to changes in regulations, or in this case, out of spite! It also highlights how platform features and content alignment play a crucial role in whether users stick around or migrate elsewhere.
Hi Ester. Very interesting post! I agree with you, the demand for short videos is highlighted by the rapid migration of users after the ban of the TikTok platform in the US. I find it interesting that Rednote was chosen by American users to keep their audience and protest this ban, as it is not a direct substitute due to the difference in content style, and the language barriers. Your point about the reaction of Chinese users, that entailed curiosity but also caution is very insightful as it shows shifts in user base such as this one create unpredictable cultural exchanges!
Hi Ester, really like this topic and post!
I liked how you described the “TikTok refugees,” because it’s true that most people just want to keep their audience and habits. That’s why RedNote’s rise felt short lived. I guess the app wasn’t as easy to use, translations were clunky, and creators didn’t see the same opportunities. But also, people had already established loyalty to TikTok to some extent.
What I found most fascinating was the bit of cultural exchange that happened. Seeing everyday posts from Chinese users gave people a more human view that went beyond the usual American headlines, which might´ve actually hurt the US more than they anticipated. I’m curious whether most people joined as a protest or simply to keep their audience. Either way, it was a unique moment worth looking back on.
Really insightful post! It’s fascinating how the TikTok ban ended up driving users to another Chinese app it shows how powerful habits and digital communities can be. People weren’t just looking for entertainment; they were trying to preserve their online identities and audiences. It also highlights how social media is deeply tied to culture and politics, not just technology. Even if apps look the same on the surface, the context and control behind them shape the entire experience.
Hi Esther,
First of all, very interesting event and thanks for digging into it. I vaguely remember that TikTok was banned, but with your context I can put it more into perspective. In your post you clearly show the difference in interests between the two parties: the government, which wants to address privacy concerns, and the users of these platforms, who just want to consume and create content. It is both hilarious and concerning to see this contradiction. This might be a good insight for the American government to communicate the consequences of these apps and data issues more clearly.
To be honest, I understand why users are not prioritizing it as much as the government. The impact does not feel tangible and in this case it is also geographically distant, namely in China. Users are often bored and lazy; they just want to enjoy content and do not want to think about complex issues, especially when it feels like nothing is happening.
My second point is that you are actually showcasing the impact of network effects. Since more foreign users joined, the content shifted to English. But when people realized that TikTok was not banned anymore and that the app was not as good as TikTok, they started leaving the platform in large numbers.