It is a quiet bus ride on a dreary morning. I turn my phone on and open up an app to cure my boredom. In just a few seconds, a wide range of short videos flickers before my eyes. I click on one that catches my eye, pause for a moment, and then scroll to the next one. The pattern continues before I lift up my head and find that I am already at school.
Bored students on the way to school are not the only ones falling victim to this rabbit hole of videos. Increasingly, these addictive apps are becoming a crucial part of our lives. In fact, about 60 percent of the world uses social media. Some use it as a form of entertainment or a tool to share parts of their lives; others use it to inform themselves on societal issues. Many use the app as a platform for their small businesses. The dependence on these apps is increasing, and so are the consequences once we lose these apps.
A great example of the dependence on social media is the banning of TikTok. On January 19th, 2025, the Chinese social media app TikTok shut down its servers for American users. Users were distraught about the news. TikTok played a huge role in connecting people during the 2020 pandemic. In a time when people were isolated from each other, TikTok and other social media apps helped connect society back together. Yet, in an instant, the communities and friends that the users established over the years were gone.
As a result, many TikTok users rushed to find an alternative platform. While some moved to more popular apps, such as Instagram, many American TikTok users flocked to a different app, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. In just a few days, RedNote reached the top-ranked app on the Apple Store.
RedNote is a Chinese social media app, operated by Xingyin Information Technology Ltd. The app is made up of short-form videos, blogs, and live videos. Users are also able to like and save posts to rewatch at a later time. Similar to other social media apps, it uses algorithms to identify a user’s interests and to choose videos that cater to an individual’s interests. There are a variety of videos, with purposes ranging from makeup to food to skits.
Originally, RedNote’s community was made up of Chinese speakers: those who lived in China or other countries. The interface was designed with this in mind: useful buttons were all labeled with Chinese characters. The content was also in Chinese, mainly about Chinese culture and popular trends.
Nicknamed the ‘TikTok Refugees’ by Chinese netizens in the RedNote community, the American users posted videos in English, introducing themselves to the Chinese users.
There were many challenges when moving from TikTok to Red Note, one of which was the language barrier. Because RedNote was predominantly Chinese, many English speakers had difficulty communicating with the RedNote users. Differences in online slang also widened the gap.
Many users were also concerned about the difference in cultures. Some users were scared that the rise of American culture on a Chinese app would lead to misunderstandings. Other users believed that the rise of posts from American users overshadowed the app’s original purpose, which was to represent Chinese culture. Preconceived notions of one another heavily influenced the actions of both sides.
In fact, many users who used RedNote before the ban claim that their feed was flooded with videos from American users. Xinyue Zhang ’27 claims that she “saw a lot of English posts all of a sudden after TikTok got banned.”
At the same time, the move to RedNote was beneficial to many users, as they found the app to be useful and enjoyable.
The similarities between TikTok and RedNote made the transition a lot easier and quicker. The video structure of the app was familiar to the ‘TikTok Refugees.’ The algorithm of RedNote was slightly different from TikTok, but it had the same purpose: to push content to users depending on their preferences. Both algorithms select the best posts and videos for the user, depending on their history. If one user mainly watches makeup tutorials, RedNote will continue to push makeup tutorials to the user.
As a result of these algorithms, the content on the app was entertaining to the new users. Students around the school report how the videos are engaging and meaningful.
“In my opinion, this app has more meaningful and entertaining content compared to other platforms. Additionally, the way the content is displayed makes it easier to find what I really want to watch. I like how in most posts the ideas that are displayed are more healthy and enjoyable,” Shelly Chan ’27 said.
For Keira Lee ’26, RedNote is a good source for crochet patterns. Julianna Meyers ’27, who used RedNote after the ban, enjoys watching mini cooking videos on the app. As for me, the app’s blog feature helped me discover new local restaurants, allowing me to experience unique cuisines.
Despite the cultural and language differences, users from both countries tried to bridge the gap. Many Chinese users posted videos in English, introducing them to the platform. Many also encouraged the original users to translate their Chinese comments into English to make the community more welcoming. The ‘TikTok Refugees’ also tried connecting with these users. Some posted videos where they tried speaking and writing in Mandarin. They also used translation apps to better communicate with the Chinese netizens.
In the comment sections, both American and Chinese users shared online jokes using translation tools. Chan, who used the app before the ban, said, “I also saw many fun interactions between people after the translation tool was imposed, including comments like ‘when you translate and read this comment you will realize it has no meaning at all.’” A few students in China even asked the American users to help with their English homework.
The users were not the only ones using translations to communicate with the ‘TikTok Refugees.’ The app itself was updated to include in-app translation devices to help American users understand the interface.
The banning of TikTok and the move to RedNote shows how small the world is becoming. People from opposite sides of the world are able to communicate with each other. The barriers created by the differences in language and culture are slowly collapsing.
Initially, there were biases from both groups. Some never traveled to the other country, but the daily headlines and numerous stories left an imprint on both groups’ minds. Despite TikTok being a Chinese app, the American and Chinese users used separate apps, leading to little to no communication. Yet, with the opportunity to interact with people across the globe, people were able to learn about each other’s lifestyles, which they found to be incredibly similar.
Perhaps, the ‘TikTok Refugees’ used RedNote as a form of protest, as they immediately turned to another Chinese app after TikTok was banned for being one. But, they didn’t expect to find a welcoming and kind community.
With just a single tap of a finger, people all over the world are being brought closer than ever before, allowing everyone to share their own culture, languages, and hobbies, all in the comfort of their own home.
Perhaps, the ‘TikTok Refugees’ used RedNote as a form of protest, as they immediately turned to another Chinese app after TikTok was banned for being one. But, they didn’t expect to find a welcoming and kind community.