In a few days, TikTok could be banned in the United States, rendering the app unusable and removing it from app stores. Instead of settling for Instagram Reels, people looked for a closer alternative and found the Chinese social media app.Red note” or Xiaohongshu, which translates to “little red book”. It rose to the top of the Apple App Store download list and, according to Reutersmore than 700,000 users joined the service in just a few days. Apparently, RedNote isn’t the only app to benefit from TikTok’s impending ban. Language learning app Duolingo revealed it has seen a “216% growth in new Chinese (Mandarin) learners in the United States compared to the same period last year.”
Although RedNote has an English interface, most of its content is in Chinese, and American users are likely hoping to be able to interact with more videos. As TechCrunch Notes, the chart published by Duolingo clearly shows a large increase in new learners at the same time RedNote was gaining popularity. On TikTok, Duolingo posted videos with the hashtags #rednote and #tiktokban. In one video, someone wearing a mask representing the app’s green owl mascot teaches Mandarin Chinese to beginners, starting with “Welcome, TikTok refugees.”
Meanwhile, RedNote’s original Chinese users are receiving language lessons thanks to the app’s US imports. They’re now apparently schooled in Generation Alpha American slang and TikTok trends, like “my shayla” and “Raw. Next question.” Chinese users are also having fun with new users, telling them they are their “Chinese spies” and jokingly demanding that their data be handed over to the Chinese government.
TikTok owner ByteDance has only until January 19 to sell the app’s U.S. assets to avoid a shutdown.
