What is Rednote or the Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu)? And should my business be on it?
By Annabelle Keal
You may have heard the USA is currently in the process of banning TikTok. It’s been on the cards for a while, but the ban is due to come into force this week. Whether it will or not is still up in the air and it's currently being debated in Congress with TikTok creators and communities fighting hard to keep the app.
But here’s an interesting development. Last week Mark Zuckerberg announced that the platform would no longer moderate across the Meta platforms in the USA and their stock price went up as the market reacted favourably to the news.
Many speculated the trend was in anticipation of an influx of users from TikTok. Over the weekend, however, the American public reacted quite differently. Although data is not yet published, it seems that users are now leaving the platform in favour of an alternative. So what’s going on?
Why is the US banning TikTok?
The proposed ban has been well documented for a while now, but essentially The American Congress is pushing to block it over security fears. It believes that TikTok is sharing data with the Chinese government. Whether they are or not, the ban is a devastating blow for, according to TikTok, the estimated 2 million American creators who have built a career on TikTok and the alleged 7 million small businesses who rely on it. Perhaps those figures have been a tad inflated by the brand but there’s also a very legitimate concern that marginalised voices will be further suppressed in the US.
So, how has the American public responded? They’ve found a new app. One that is based in China and so, by law, will have to share its data with The Chinese Government when requested. And they have flocked to it. At the time of writing, it continues to be top of the US download charts.
What is Rednote or Little Red Book?
The literal translation from Chinese is Little Red Book, but that has been adapted to Rednote. It’s likely to disassociate itself from the well-known little Red Book of quotations from Chairman Mao. A compilation of quotations from speeches and writings by Mao Zedong, the former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
What is Rednote like?
With a similar layout to Pinterest, Rednote is said to be China's answer to Instagram. Users can engage in live chat, post videos and call each other. There's also the option to purchase through the platform. It grew in popularity with young users during the pandemic.
It is, or at least was, mainly in Mandarin but the app has already updated some of its functionality with symbols and English prompts to make it easier for its new audience. And Duo Lingo has reported an increase in those learning Mandarin. True to form, their social media team is on it producing some pretty funny social media posts!
Should my business be on Rednote?
Things can change quickly in the world of social media. When a platform takes off, it can be wise to secure a handle before someone else snaps up your brand name. In this case, however, the migration to Rednote is essentially a mass protest in the face of legislation. The platform is also obliged to share information with its government. If you have a US audience, you might want to keep a closer eye on developments, but make sure you do your research before making a decision. What will happen with Rednote and the future of TikTok, time will tell.
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