Xiaohongshu shows Americans a whole new social media world

by Olivia Plotnick

AMERICAN users have been migrating in droves to Xiaohongshu – a Chinese social media platform known as RedNote in English – in response to the impending TikTok ban in the US. More than 700,000 new users have joined Xiaohongshu this week, making it the most downloaded social network in the US on Apple’s App Store.

This “protest migration” has inadvertently created an unprecedented cultural exchange between Chinese and American Internet users, who have been largely separated since the rise of China’s digital firewall in the early 2010s.

While the mass migration to Xiaohongshu (which translates to “little red book”) may be a fad, the impact of a major spontaneous cultural exchange between Chinese and American social media users can’t be underplayed. The move offers unique insights into how tech firms from different societies approach social media design, content moderation, and the balance between commercialization and user experience.

Scaling the Great Firewall

The story of China’s digital isolation from the West has long been told through the lens of Western tech giants’ failures: Facebook’s and Twitter’s banning in 2009, Google’s departure in 2010, Instagram’s blocking in 2014, and LinkedIn’s eventual withdrawal in 2023. Each exit reinforced the notion of an impenetrable digital divide between East and West.

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ByteDance seemingly learned from these cautionary tales, creating separate ecosystems with Douyin for Chinese users and TikTok for the international market.

This strategic split now carries a distinct note of irony, but history has a way of surprising us. Rather than Chinese users seeking ways around the Great Firewall, it’s Americans who are scaling it.

What these digital refugees have discovered on Xiaohongshu is vastly different from the social media they’re used to: an ecosystem that prioritises user experience over advertising revenue.

The contrast is striking – where Instagram and Facebook users are met with a relentless stream of sponsored content, Xiaohongshu users encounter a more organic form of commercial integration through key opinion leaders (KOLs) and authentic product discussions.

Xiaohongshu’s approach to content creation and monetisation also reveals a stark philosophical difference in social media development. While Western platforms have focused on engagement metrics like views, likes, and shares – often at the expense of content quality – Xiaohongshu has maintained a different vision.

The result is a more thoughtful, curated environment that serves multiple purposes: product discovery, shopping, travel planning, and community building, all integrated into one experience.

This accidental cultural exchange is uncovering not just varying approaches to technology but also different philosophies about the relationship between platforms, users, and commerce. While it’s unlikely to lead to a permanent shift in user behavior, it’s already challenging assumptions on both sides of the Pacific about how digital spaces can be constructed and maintained.

Culture clash

This digital protest, while significant, faces inevitable hurdles.

Due to the initial surge in accounts and content, the Xiaohongshu team was unable to effectively moderate and ensure that the app’s community guidelines were met and that they were complying with Chinese Internet regulations. As a result, many users were able to post about and discuss topics that would not have normally made the cut.

But this is changing, too. Xiaohongshu is recruiting more English-language content moderators, and American users have begun to notice that their posts are getting taken down, or they are unable to post. Eventually, Xiaohongshu will look less and less like the playground for TikTok “refugees,” the way it did at the beginning.

The user experience for non-Mandarin speakers is also not sustainable. Currently, such users need up to five different apps just to translate content and make posts.

The platform wasn’t designed for Western users, either. Adapting to their expectations fast enough would require significant investment and infrastructure changes that may not align with Xiaohongshu’s current focus on profitability and a potential Hong Kong IPO.

Moreover, US lawmakers have already indicated they might subject Xiaohongshu to the same scrutiny as TikTok, making any major platform adjustments for English-speaking users a risky investment.

These practical barriers, combined with regulatory uncertainties and potential government intervention, suggest that this migration to Xiaohongshu is more likely a temporary protest than a lasting shift in social media dynamics.

Users have certainly made their dissatisfaction and mistrust with Meta’s platforms and the US government known. If a TikTok ban is enforced, though, the majority of social media users will likely continue to stay on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Snapchat for now. It does show, however, that there is a gap in the market for something as gripping as TikTok has been.

Where Xiaohongshu goes from here

The platform currently faces a potential challenge to its core identity.

What was built as a product discovery and lifestyle community platform has temporarily transformed into something resembling American TikTok, with an influx of TikTok-style content flooding the feeds of Xiaohongshu users. Seeing their carefully curated space disrupted by content that doesn’t align with the platform’s original purpose, Chinese users have been increasingly vocal about their frustration.

For Xiaohongshu, the challenge isn’t just managing this temporary surge. It also needs to ensure its original user base – the foundation of its success – doesn’t become alienated. The platform must find a way to protect existing users while managing this unexpected influx of English-language content.

Western brands should be thinking strategically, but that doesn’t mean rushing to open up a Xiaohongshu account.

For Western brands that have not yet thought of or lack the resources to explore expanding to China, this is a unique opportunity for market research. By taking stock of comments and interactions on posts, in livestreams, and audio rooms on Xiaohongshu, brands can observe genuine, unprompted interest in general product categories or even in the brands themselves.

On numerous posts, you’ll find Chinese users asking for product links or names of brands. These organic interactions offer a free glimpse into authentic consumer curiosity.

This practice doesn’t only cover brands, but it also extends to celebrities and creators who are discovering the potential of a Chinese audience. They can tap into a huge opportunity if they are willing to comply with China’s Internet regulations.

That said, it’s crucial to understand what this moment is and isn’t. The opportunity lies not in pivoting to target English-speaking users on Xiaohongshu, which would be both short-sighted and ultimately futile.

Instead, the value is two-pronged: One lies in the window that Xiaohongshu provides into Chinese consumer preferences and the potential for identifying future market opportunities. The other can be found in the glaring need for a Western equivalent to Chinese social media, but without the political baggage. TECHINASIA

Olivia Plotnick is the founder of Wai Social, a Shanghai-based social media strategy firm.