The overnight migration to RedNote (Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book) is one internet trend U.S. government officials didn’t see coming as we near TikTok’s potential ban on January 19. President Joe Biden and two senators have since addressed the move, and while their responses could save TikTok, their actions are telling of a larger issue.
When fed-up TikTokers fled to RedNote en masse earlier this week, they were met with a warm welcome of memes and understanding from the app’s primarily Chinese user base. Unsurprisingly, however, officials who played a hand in the impending TikTok ban that pushed users to try the app weren’t so thrilled about Americans sharing slang, learning Mandarin, and forging real bonds with Chinese netizens. In fact, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said the quiet part out loud on X (formerly Twitter), explicitly voicing his concern that Americans are “flocking to adversary-owned social media platforms.”
The senator’s comments are flooded with users combating the statement and calling out censorship for what it is: Control of a narrative. Some hit the nail on the head, pointing out that many officials take no issue with Elon Musk’s Twitter buyout and Mark Zuckerberg’s removal of fact-checking on Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook. So, what’s the problem with apps like TikTok and RedNote? Well, they can’t control what they don’t own, and a number of our government officials have stock in Meta. That’s exactly why TikTokers aren’t moving to Reels, and Meta’s now-plummeting stocks prove it.
Sen. Warner might have been candid in his statement, but other officials were quick to act in light of RedNote’s rise. On the morning following the move, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), who has strongly opposed the TikTok ban, proposed an extension of 270 days to the deadline ByteDance faces to either sell TikTok or see it banned in the States. This gave many hope the app might survive the month. On January 15, Sen. Markey announced on TikTok that his proposition was blocked.
While disheartening, Sen. Markey’s efforts might not have been in vain. NBC News reported that the Biden administration is “exploring options” to implement a law that will prevent a total TikTok ban in the U.S. on Sunday. According to the news outlet, an administration official said, “Americans shouldn’t expect to see TikTok suddenly banned on Sunday,” though President Biden initially signed off on the ban.
Should the issue fall on President-elect Donald Trump’s shoulders following his inauguration on January 20, the former president is now claiming he’s going to “save” TikTok, despite calling for it to be banned during his first term in office. Meanwhile, RedNote soars in popularity on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Why the change of heart?
As Sen. Warner’s X statement suggests, it seems some officials want to continue to paint China as an “adversary” to the U.S., and the mass move to RedNote weakens that narrative. Participating in online communities is one of the most accessible ways to learn about other countries and connect with others across the globe—something “the new red scare,” as The New York Times called it, was designed to prevent.
This is why many believe our leaders wanted to ban TikTok in the first place; it became a source of unfiltered news out of Gaza and shed light on what was happening not only in other countries but outside our own front doors. Now, in an attempt to prevent TikTokers from sharing unbiased news and information, it’s become clear government officials won’t see their stock in Meta or ties with Elon Musk pay off. To rub salt in the wound, some even want to call the Xiaohongshu app “X” as Americans continue to make friends with Chinese netizens.
Published: Jan 17, 2025 09:18 am