What is RedNote? App Surges in US Popularity Ahead of Expected TikTok Shutdown

As social media app TikTok is slated to shut down in the U.S. on Jan. 19, users are flocking to a different Chinese-owned social media app, RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu.

For Context: TikTok has 170 million U.S. users and over 1 billion worldwide. U.S. critics argue that it poses a national security risk. It will be banned if the Supreme Court upholds a federal law that shuts down the app unless its owner, ByteDance, divests. 

RedNote: Downloads for RedNote, which hosts short-form videos similar to TikTok, went up 200% this week, gaining 700,000 more users. It's one of the largest social media apps in China with 300 million users, but until now didn't have much reach outside of China. Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app, has also been gaining traction in the Apple U.S. store, and is currently the second-most downloaded app. It's unclear if the TikTok ban could also ban Lemon8's U.S. operations.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets on the right tended to focus on TikTok alternatives ahead of the impending TikTok ban. Outlets on the left included the potential positive and unknown implications of American and Chinese users becoming more connected than ever through RedNote, which was designed for the Chinese-speaking world, unlike TikTok, which was designed to be global.