What the heck is going on with RedNote and TikTok?
Observations on RedNote
It’s been 2 weeks (real feel: five years) since the American TikTok ban started. Make no mistake—although service was quickly restored to existing US users after a brief total blackout, the ban is still very much in effect. The App Store and Google Play are not serving TikTok, and if that continues, the app will eventually degrade and stop working on US users’ phones, maybe even before the 75-day divestment extension is up.
The eventual total loss of this vibrant interest-based economy and ecosystem will be devastating to Americans, in particular artists and musicians who found new audiences and community there.
But a curious thing is happening in the meantime. Following the trailblazing path of mostly black female creators, a massive wave of TikTok users downloaded and signed up for Xiaohongshu (Little Red Notebook, or just “RedNote”), a Chinese app that has elements of TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and even Yelp. The mostly Chinese user base was stunned—and intrigued. Overnight, about 2 million additional westerners (including many Europeans) were suddenly in their digital house. Thankfully, the existing user base was welcoming beyond compare, and people immediately started talking and sharing together.
Although this Onion headline (from 2014) is of course entirely satirical, there turned out to be something incredibly transformative about massive low-level cultural exchange at scale. And the irony is just incomprehensibly deep. TikTok was banned due to clearly manufactured fear-mongering about Chinese spying, with language written by Meta lobbyists (after Meta themselves spied on Americans and sold their data to the highest bidder for years). The fact that all of this resulted in a wave of direct cultural exchange between regular Chinese and American citizens is both hilarious and beautiful.
And although the initial wave of interest is passing, many thousands of people are staying for the long-term. RedNote is unlike any social network Americans are used to—it is deeply supportive of the arts and culture, and very carefully and thoughtfully moderated. As one example, it holds official monthly themes and elevates artistic creators that contribute to those themes. Music, art, dance, cooking, fashion, photography, and travel are everywhere, even after the algorithm adjusts to one’s interests. US musicians who posted early in the January wave saw massive popularity and interest.
After a bit of time exploring, I started searching for Chinese representation in specific genres. Many people were doing the same, and enthusiastically sharing their favorite artists from their homelands.
Since the Chinese population is so large, there’s basically interest in every genre, and any cultural divide you might imagine probably doesn’t actually exist. There is Chinese punk, post-punk, metal, and shoegaze. There are students studying in the US who go to house shows and write about US punk history and culture.
The next step is to build strong, meaningful long term cultural exchange and collaboration. How cool and inspiring would it be to start seeing music and other art created by individuals from “rival countries” collaborating at a scale no one imagined would ever happen? Already people on RedNote are sharing recipes, trying new things, exploring new fashions, planning trips they never thought they’d take. This is a key moment in history and artists need to be a part of it. Even if you’re just passively observing, make sure you tune in. I’ll keep sharing what I find too.
Also, you don’t necessarily need to download and join RedNote itself. Inspired by the massive change and the absurd societal fuckery that we’re living through, various movements of connection and community are springing up everywhere. Search #worldtok on TikTok for a collective of regular people comparing their everyday lives, or research top creators in other countries (who may already be on more mainstream apps, like YouTube).
And since it’s relevant: here is Youth Against Fascism on cello.
GW
this is brilliant