Old users have treated the newcomers with skepticism. The user groups may be separated from each other later, but the reason is not the users’ own convenience.
Tiktok may disappear from users in the US. However, the competing application has also interested people in Finland. Rafael Henrique
The Chinese-origin Tiktok is about to be banned in the United States within a couple of days, unless an alternative owner is found. For example, it has been proposed as a buyer Elon Muskalthough this rumor has since had its wings clipped.
The fear of being banned from Tiktok has caused Americans to look for alternative social media services.
One of them is the Chinese Rednote, or Xiaohongshu. It is According to Yle has also risen to the most downloaded apps in Apple’s app store in Finland, although Tiktok is not disappearing anywhere in Finland.
They founded Rednote in 2016 Mao Wenchao and Miranda Qu Fang. It is somewhat similar to Instagram, meaning users can share photos and text updates there.
Xiǎo hóng shū means “little red book”, which may bring to mind the work of the same name by communist leader Mao Zedong.
of The Washington Post however, the name refers to the university attended by Mao Wenchao, and Rednote is not intended as a political service.
New users from the United States have not only been welcomed at Rednote with joy. Ars Technica reports that a large number of newcomers have no idea what is appropriate in Rednote or how to behave there.
It has apparently come as a surprise to the US that Rednote, of Chinese origin, censors significantly more content than Tiktok.
Chinese users have given tips that, for example, stories about politics, religion and drugs easily lead to a ban. The service also features some common scams, which Reddit users have warned Americans about, Ars Technica writes.
Rednote’s terms of use would presumably contain useful information for users, but many have not read them. However, this may also stem from the fact that Rednote has only published them in Mandarin.
More generally, using Rednote is difficult for a user who does not know China. It’s no coincidence that According to Techcrunch language learning app Duolingo, the number of Mandarin students has exploded.
Ars Technica quotes a Reddit user who gives his candid assessment of the Americans who have landed on Rednote. According to the user, Rednote was a way for many Chinese people living abroad to stay informed about domestic affairs, but now its content is completely ruined.
The public rush from abroad obviously causes concern not only for Rednote’s users but also for its maintenance. According to information from the Reuters news agency, the service is urgently trying to increase resources for moderating English-language content.
According to Ars Technica, it’s possible that Chinese and foreign users will later be placed in separate “pens” in Rednote. This would prevent interaction between user groups and prevent Chinese people from receiving influences from the US that Chinese authorities consider undesirable.