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RedNote App: If China-based ByteDance doesn't sell TikTok's assets by the January 19 deadline, the platform could face an imminent ban in the United States. After the ban is imposed Apple and Google will be liable to remove the app from their app stores for the new users. As this scenario unfolds users are already out there looking for alternatives to use in place of TikTok.

As of Monday, RedNote downloads have hit the roof on the Apple App Store. The app which is currently on top when it comes to free apps, brings together the functionalities of Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest in a short-form video content style. Being one of the most popular apps in China, it is known natively as ‘Xiaohongshu,’ which actually translates to "Little Red Book." The app was launched in 2013 and first surfaced as a shopping platform for users to share product reviews.

TikTok Users Eye RedNote (Xiaohongshu) as Alternative Amid Looming Ban

As the TikTok ban approaches, US social media users, including creators and influencers, are flocking to RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, with many labeling themselves as "#TikTokRefugees." While often compared to Instagram and Pinterest for its layout, RedNote is becoming a go-to platform for those seeking alternatives to TikTok.

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Even though there are a lot of apps in the US acting as an alternative to TikTok and with platforms like Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook revamping their own styles of presentation to reproduce the short-form video content, none of them have been able to consolidate their position in this trending marker.

About 170 million people or roughly about half of the US's population use TikTok as per The US Sun. Even though the platform RedNote has currently become a refuge for users trying to find an alternative to TikTok, there is no certainty that this platform will be able to garner the kind of massive support TikTok had in influencing its audiences, a soft power position that TikTok has slowly assumed over the years.

Why Is TikTok Facing A Ban

RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, is valued at over $17 billion, as reported by the Financial Times. As the TikTok ban deadline looms ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, current users can still access the app, but its functionality will gradually degrade. As a Chinese-origin platform, RedNote has become a symbol of a new rebellion, primarily offering content in Chinese. The growing shift of US users to this Chinese alternative has left many existing Chinese users feeling unsettled.

A law was passed last year, through which Congress forced TikTok's parent company to sell its US operations as ByteDance's connections with China are seen as a potential risk to national security if the data is shared with the Chinese Government.

RedNote Becomes Fresh Meme Content

As RedNote’s popularity skyrockets, reflecting the increasing interaction of American users with the Chinese platform, it has become a source of humorous rebellion, with some dubbing it "lowkey the modern Boston Tea Party."

Memes like "Hi, I’m Spy No 649782. Welcome to join RedNote. Make sure you post happy notes every day or your privacy data might be sold to the US government" and "I’m a Chinese spy. Give me your data" have already gone viral on the platform. More and more RedNote memes are appearing on X/Twitter, with users commenting, "Americans on Xiaohongshu talking about how they don’t believe the anti-China propaganda anymore." Meanwhile, others are "distraught" over the influx of Americans on the app.

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