New users have flocked to Chinese social media app RedNote days before a proposed U.S. ban on the popular app TikTok goes into effect, and the company is rushing to capitalize on the sudden influx as it walks down the delicate line of moderating English content, sources told Reuters.
In a live chat called “TikTok Refugees” on RedNote 50,000 American and Chinese users joined the room.
The veteran Chinese users, with some bewilderment, welcomed their American counterparts and exchanged notes with them on topics such as food and youth unemployment.
From time to time, however, the Americans ventured into riskier terrain.
“Is it okay to ask about the differences between Chinese and Hong Kong laws?” asked an American user.
“We prefer not to talk about it here,” responded one Chinese user.
The impromptu cultural exchanges took place on RedNote, known in China as Xiaohongshu, which has risen to the top of the U.S. download charts this week. Its popularity is due to the search for an alternative to TikTok, owned by ByteDance, days before its imminent ban.
In just two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, a person close to the company told Reuters, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
RedNote downloads in the United States increased more than 200% year over year this week and 194% from the previous week, according to estimates from app data research company Sensor Tower.
Lemon8, another social media app owned by ByteDance, was the second most popular free app on Apple’s list, with downloads increasing 190% in December, to about 3.4 million.
RedNote, a venture-backed startup with a most recent valuation of $17 billion, allows users to collect photos, videos and texts that document their lives. In China it is considered a possible candidate to go public.
In recent years, it has become a de facto search engine for its more than 300 million users demanding travel tips, anti-aging creams and restaurant recommendations.
With information from Reuters.
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