I guess it’s time to learn Mandarin. On the heels of TikTok’s looming shutdown, American users are flocking to Chinese short-form video app Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote). The app is currently the No. 1 free app on the U.S. App Store. Xiaohongshu hits a lot of the right notes for creators looking for a TikTok alternative: it has a layout that’s similar to Pinterest’s, it is typically thought of as China’s answer to Instagram, and it boasts a number of social shopping features. After a few steady years of growth, Xiaohongshu boomed among younger Chinese consumers. It now boasts 300 million monthly active users; 79% of them women. Read more at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Lauren Forristal Image Credits: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) #TechCrunch #technews #tiktok #tiktokban #xiaohongshu #rednote

American TikTok users have been spitefully joining Chinese social media app, RedNote (aka Xiaohongshu). Unfortunately, many of those who already made the transition have faced problems with having their accounts suspended and banned for a variety of reasons. Initially, RedNote seemed like a promising alternative to TikTok, in terms of the app’s functionality. However, the app isn’t a one-to-one replacement for TikTok, as it’s also designed to serve as something of a Chinese Yelp or Google alternative offering local recommendations and nearby connections in addition to the video feed. Meanwhile, some users who joined RedNote — including popular TikToker and former Bravo star Bethenny Frankel — found themselves penalized or kicked out entirely after their initial posts on the Chinese app. According to various reports from TikTok users, these bans were due to a number of reasons. Read more on why TikTok users’ migration to RedNote isn’t going too well at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Sarah Perez Image Credits: SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images; Bethenny Frankel / TikTok (screenshot) #TechCrunch #technews #TikTok #RedNote #xiaohongshu #socialmedia #小红书

"Learning Mandarin out of spite? You're not alone." 💀 TikTok U.S. users have been learning Chinese on Duolingo in increasing numbers amid their adoption of a Chinese social app called RedNote ahead of the TikTok ban. The U.S. law, scheduled to go into effect on January 19, unless halted by the Supreme Court, will see TikTok removed from U.S. app stores and will stop the app from functioning on users’ devices unless they install a VPN client. Instead of trying to work around the ban, however, over 700 million TikTok users have shifted over to the social video platform RedNote. According to Duolingo, the app has seen roughly 216% growth in new Mandarin learning in the U.S. compared to this time last year, with a sharp spike in mid-January as RedNote’s adoption took off. In addition, the company reports that in its “How did you hear about us” survey that new users are prompted to answer, it’s seeing a corresponding spike in people selecting “TikTok” as their response. Read more on the spike in Chinese Duolingo learners at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Sarah Perez Image Credits: Duolingo #TechCrunch #technews #Duolingo #socialmedia #TikTok #RedNote #xiaohongshu

Instagram announced a timely update to its video feature Reels this morning, alongside the news that the Supreme Court upheld the law that will ban TikTok in the U.S. on January 19. The update, says Meta, will make it easier for users to discover the content that friends and followers are liking on the platform and will encourage users to start conversations about Reels content. The company is poised to capture a number of TikTok users in the wake of the U.S. ban, particularly creators who rely on social media for income. Though a sizable group of TikTokers have already fled to the Chinese app RedNote in protest of the ban, it will be more difficult for creators to monetize their followings on an app largely used by Chinese netizens, but not U.S. businesses and brands. Read more on Instagram's latest updates at the link in the bio 👆 Article by Sarah Perez Image Credits: NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images; Instagram #TechCrunch #technews #Meta #Instagram #socialmedia #MarkZuckerberg

👉 A wave of U.S. users is flocking to Xiaohongshu, or “RedNote,“ as a response to the potential TikTok ban, leading to unexpected cultural exchanges between Americans and Chinese users. 🚀 In just a week, U.S. downloads of Xiaohongshu tripled, and the app shot to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store. 🇺🇸 Many Americans, calling themselves “TikTok refugees,” are joining the platform, using hashtags like “TikTok refugee” to express their defiance against the ban. 📸 Launched in 2013, Xiaohongshu is similar to Instagram, but its focus on user interests creates more original content and reduces influencer dominance. 🇨🇳 The sudden influx of American users has sparked warm interactions with Chinese users, who are sharing tutorials and even using the platform to practice English. 🤝 American users, in turn, have been calling for a respectful, apolitical space to engage. 👀 Experts are seeing this as a rare and organic form of cultural exchange that bridges language and political gaps, much like what happened on Clubhouse a few years ago. 🤯 At the same time, other alternatives like Lemon8, another app owned by ByteDance, are gaining popularity in the U.S. amid concerns about the future of TikTok. #ai #artificialintelligence #aitools #aihacks #chatgpt #tech #technology