Thursday, 16 January 2025
Thursday, 16 January 2025
The clock is ticking for TikTok, the popular short-form video hosting app owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, in the US. With the January 19 ban deadline looming large, the fate of the app in America hangs in the balance, leaving its devoted 170 million users scrambling for alternatives.
The impending ban stems from a prolonged battle over national security concerns tied to the app’s Chinese ownership.
In April 2024, President Joe Biden signed The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which grants the government the authority to ban foreign-owned apps that it deems a threat to national security. Congress also introduced the “divest-or-ban” law, forcing ByteDance into a corner: sell TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban.
US authorities claim the app is a potential tool for espionage and pro-China propaganda.
Statista reports that adults in the US spend an average of 58 minutes per day on the app.
One of the emerging contenders as a replacement for TikTok is Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a Shanghai-based social media platform launched in June 2013 by Xingyin Information Technology. In Mandarin, Xiaohongshu has gained attention as a substitute for content creators and users.
While some TikTok loyalists have expressed their heartbreak online, others have turned to humour, flooding social media with memes and jokes.
Countless Americans flooded RedNote and declared themselves “TikTok refugees.”
Irony: The US government's push to ban TikTok over data theft concerns has driven Americans to embrace RedNote - another app based in China.
The Terracotta soldier embraces Lady Liberty!
RedNote’s popularity has skyrocketed in the US overnight, soaring to the #1 spot on the Apple App Store as users flock to the platform.
With its unique blend of Instagram aesthetics, Pinterest inspiration, TikTok-style short videos, and YouTube Shorts vibes, RedNote is becoming the new digital hangout with 300 million monthly users hooked with distinctive emojis, a vibrant community, and integrated e-commerce services that set it apart from the competition.
Can American users learn Mandarin by reading Mao Tse Tung’s Red Book?
Other users shared amusing stories of Chinese users on RedNote asking Americans for help with their English homework.
The Americans pulled an Uno-reverse on their government.
According to Bloomberg, Musk was floated as a potential buyer to acquire TikTok’s US operations and save the platform from a nationwide ban.
A representative for TikTok dismissed the rumors, labeling them “pure fiction.”
It’s time for the Chinese to get what’s their worth (for making phones for America).
If TikTok is someone’s source of income, can that person file for unemployment after the 19th?
Americans are already embracing Chinese culture.
For now, all eyes are on TikTok and the courts. Will the app survive the ban hammer or is this the end of the road for ByteDance in the US?
