RedNote is the New Playground for TikTok Refugees, and The Tides Are Changing

I am so invested in this enemies-to-lovers plot twist—the recent mass migration of Americatok to RedNote due to the impending TikTok ban.

So 2025 has gotten off to an interesting start.

What am I talking about? Mainly the recent mass migration of Americatok to RedNote (xiaohongshu, 小红书) to spite the government's move to ban TikTok in the USA (on the grounds of national security threat🌚).

As a content manager, I pretty much have to be chronically online, so I've been observing the mass social media exodus with great interest. TikTok folks (mainly gen z's) have always cracked me up. They are sooo unserious on that app, they turn everything into a running inside joke, and I love going through the comments in every video. But they're plenty serious when it comes to this. They're learning Mandarin and deleting their Meta apps completely to drive home the point that they do not appreciate having their favourite social media app taken away from them.

Even after a couple of senators have filed a bill to extend the date of the TikTok ban, folks have already moved on.

Like someone in the comments said, this is the biggest Uno Reverse we've seen in a while, tech billionaires and the US government spending billions trying to drive TikTok (which is headquartered in the US and has a majority of American stakeholders) out of the US, only to have users hop right over to an actual Chinese app and agreeing to terms & conditions written in Chinese.

Not to mention all those TikTok videos where Americans thank their "Chinese spies" for curating their FYPs and sending them videos of hot men chopping wood, cute puppies/kittens, and Sprinkle Sprinkle Lady. The sarcasm is off the charts, and I love it. The memes have had me rolling for days. TikTokers have also gone on RedNote to share those memes, and Chinese users have piled on with their own memes and the whole thing is just hysterical. 😂

Americans and Chinese folks getting along on a Chinese app (trading cat photos, helping each other with their homework, busting myths about their countries, sharing makeup and fashion tips, exchanging pictures of their school lunches (one American girl shared her gooey brown slop and a Chinese user commented, "No offence, but it looks like something my grandma feeds her ducks", to which OP replied, "Well then your grandma's ducks probably eat better than us"), having open conversations about both frivolous and hard-hitting topics, breaking sociocultural barriers and getting to know each other on a deeper level than they had in decades) was not on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are.

It's honestly a joy to witness all this wholesomeness. Everyone is being so kind and respectful to each other on RedNote, and they're even making the effort to post in both English and Mandarin so that everyone can understand each other.

There are also RedNote posts from both sides offering to debunk oft-held myths about each country (e.g. dog-eating, social credit, cost of living, gun laws, etc... some Chinese guy also asked a Florida native if they really ride alligators, help 😂), and people are actually learning from each other the truth. It's actually giving me some hope for the whole protectionism/nationalism belligerent state of geopolitical affairs in recent years.

I've downloaded RedNote as well (along with users from other countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Scotland, etc), just to lurk and continue to observe this enemies-to-lovers plot twist.

While we don't know how long this will last, I'm branding this hopecore just because it's been so heartwarming to see the people of two beefing countries come together despite what the billionaire tech bros are attempting to dictate.

This whole ongoing saga just shows that we as citizens are not so different from one another after all. We're not seeking to dominate or exploit or destroy each other out of greed or fear. We're just regular people trying to live our lives and coexist harmoniously in the world.

And if we can rise above the noise and the narrative that the powers that be are pushing, and just talk to each other more, possibly even experience the real thing for ourselves, we will see that there is no need to view one another as the enemy or a threat, because we're all just humans living on a floating rock, making the best of the few decades we have on this earth, in the grand scheme of things.

Q: How do you feel about this TikTok/RedNote turn of events?