American consumers, uninterested by Instagram Reels and fearing a TikTok ban, have fled to an unusual social media app- XiaoHongShu, or “Red Note,” a Chinese owned and operated video-sharing platform. This newfound interest has driven XiaoHongShu to the top of the app store for most of a week, as interest and discussion surrounding the app surges.
U.S lawmakers have threatened to ban the popular video-sharing app “TikTok” for several years, citing security concerns over the app’s ties to the Chinese government. Previously, a lack of substantive progress led many observers to conclude that threats of a TikTok ban were mostly empty. However, recent statements from incoming Trump administration officials, as well as congressional representatives, have all but confirmed that the app is likely to be banned within the next few months.
TikTok’s overwhelming popularity in the US as a video-sharing platform has prompted many users to look for alternatives. Instagram Reels, a TikTok competitor for short video sharing, has seen an increase in use over the past few weeks, but many users report issues with the UI, an underwhelming video algorithm, and community toxicity.
This relative lack of suitable American alternatives has ironically led many Americans to a somewhat unconventional replacement. XiaoHongShu operates similarly to TikTok or Instagram, but with one major difference- it’s populated almost exclusively by Chinese mainlanders. This offers Americans the opportunity to interact with everyday Chinese citizens on an equal playing field.
At the moment, it’s clear XiaoHongShu is still adjusting to its newfound Western audience. Most of the non-essential UI is still in Mandarin, including the app’s homescreen text and much of its settings menu. However, if anything, these UI difficulties have only intensified consumer interest in the app, as unlike many other new social media networks, XiaoHongShu is self-evidently different from its competitors.
Above all else, users are captivated by the rare opportunity to actually converse with everyday Chinese people. While there’s plenty of culture shock to go around on both sides, so far the reactions from Chinese and American users alike have been largely positive. In the current political climate, China is often blamed for a myriad of problems plaguing America, leading to a pervasive anti-Chinese attitude in popular culture. The explosive popularity of XiaoHongShu, a Chinese app owned by Chinese conglomerates with a mostly Chinese user base, may suggest that the everyday American is less opposed to China than was previously assumed.
