Following TikTok’s ban earlier this year, avid TikTok users desperately sought alternative platforms. One such platform, RedNote – a Chinese social media platform originally known as Xiaohongshu – emerged as a popular choice.
TikTok, known for its engaging short-form content, has been a widely used platform among adolescents and adults. With the loss of TikTok, many turned to Red Note as a possible alternative, hoping to discover a similar experience.
While TikTok is largely built around fast-paced, trend-driven videos, RedNote sees an emphasis on community building and lifestyle content. Users on RedNote often connect through shared interests, such as sports and daily experiences, shared via a variety of short clips, longer videos, and written content with images. Unlike TikTok’s design, being directed to a broad international user base, RedNote is more catered towards users in Asia. Despite these differences, both platforms share key features, including integrated e-commerce tools that allow users to tag products in posts – a feature both apps have used for streamlining creator-driven commerce.
The surge of former TikTok users on Red Note led to the coinage of the term “TikTok refugees.”
“More than 700,000 new users have joined Xiaohongshu,” per a CNN article.
Given its scale, this migration has sparked interesting cross-cultural interactions. For instance, Chinese students sought help with English homework, while TikTok refugees took the opportunity to practice Mandarin. In response, many creators on RedNote began to post more English content and adding subtitles to accommodate new users. The platform has also enhanced its translation features to match.
Many Hill students also experimented with RedNote amidst uncertainty over TikTok’s ban. Cecelia Diprinzio ‘27 downloaded Red Note after a friend’s suggestion but found it lacking.
: “I did not like Red Note, it just wasn’t the same as Tik Tok, because there weren’t the same users or the same type of videos,”said Diprinzio.
However, she acknowledged that spending more time on the platform might have changed her opinion.
Prior RedNote users at Hill shared their opinions regarding the rise in Red Note users. Yvonne Bao ’25 started using the platform in 2020 during quarantine.
“I usually like to watch content about pets or daily vlogs,” said Bao.
She noted that she was not pleased with the influx of TikTok users, as it has unexpectedly altered the content appearing in her feed.
Similarly, Derek Zhang ’27 compared RedNote to Pinterest.
“Red Note has more features than TikTok,” said Zhang.
He added that he found the presence of TikTok refugees amusing but doubted their long-term commitment, as the platform’s user base remains predominantly Mandarin-speaking.
With the TikTok Ban now on hold, many users have reverted to their original platform. While RedNote and TikTok remain distinct, the temporary migration from TikTok facilitated unique cross-cultural interactions that had been previously unexpected.