American TikTok refugees find new home on RedNote
發佈日期: 2025-06-18 20:00
TVB News
TikTok, the short-form video sharing app, was banned in the United States at the beginning of the year.
Many users have migrated to Chinese social media platforms, garnering the title "TikTok refugees".
TVB News spoke to two such users in California, to see how their perspectives on China have shifted.
Jess lives in Los Angeles. She began using RedNote in January.
She says she was curious to compare her life with other Chinese users, discussing topics such as Chinese cuisine: "I said, is this authentic? Are we being bamboozled into thinking this is good Chinese? And everyone's like 'it's so good. Yes, it's real, it's good'. And then they were like, 'how much was that?' And then I said, and they were like, 'What? That's so expensive. It wouldn't cost that much here.' So it's kind of stuff like that, which is really nice."
When Jess posted a video of her neighbour's bougainvillea, she was overwhelmed by the response: "Everyone started sending me videos and pictures of a highway, I forget where it was in China, but the whole highway is lined in bougainvillea and that's when I was like China is definitely doing it right like, they are very much more modern."
She says seeing bits of life in China changed her perspective on the country: "I was holding on to very outdated perspectives on what life in China was. And I think being on this app really opened up my awareness that life in China looks really good."
Sage also joined RedNote at the beginning of the year, where he posts photos and exchanges photography tips with Chinese netizens: "What surprised me most is the amount of kindness that I received, especially as an outsider and newcomer to RedNote."
Sage says his online friends have helped him learn about Chinese culture: "We're kind of taught of like China as our complete opposite. Growing up, we've kind of noticed that it's just kind of what we're taught, but it's not very true. We kind of assume everyone who's not American is not kind or safe. And it's sad to see but after experiencing it now, I mean, it's wonderful."
Sage explains that he believes the U.S. government's motive for banning TikTok had nothing to do with national security: "Especially a place like TikTok or RedNote where people from around the world, we learn so much from different places. It's just trying to keep us, for lack of better word, isolated from the rest of the world and not having that information from the outside."
TikTok's future in the US is uncertain, will these users return to the app?
Sage says: "I would never stop using RedNote completely. I feel like it's always gonna be a part of my routine now."
Jess also says she is unlikely to return TikTok explaining: "I left Tiktok. And I'm very happy at RedNote."
U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that TikTok has a "warm spot in his heart" and hopes to see the app remain available in the US.
