Hong Kong
CNN
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As Supreme Court justices consider the future of TikTok in the United States, a growing number of American social media users have responded by switching to an unlikely alternative: Xiaohongshu, a hugely popular social media app in China .

The app, which means “Little Red Book” and is often abbreviated to “RedNote” by U.S. users, shot to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store on Tuesday.

Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu is one of China’s largest social media platforms with 300 million users, according to research firm Qian Gua. The app is considered China’s answer to Instagram and is particularly popular for sharing travel, makeup and fashion tips.

Although it has conquered the Chinese market, it has not gained much prominence outside the Chinese-speaking world. Until now.

Xiaohongshu is growing in popularity around the world in the same week that TikTok could potentially go offline in the US.

A growing number of American TikTok users are emerging on the platform, often saying it is an act of resistance to Washington’s attempt to control TikTok.

As of Tuesday, the hashtag “TikTok Refugee” had reached nearly 60 million Views and over 1.7 million comments.

“Our government is crazy if they think we support this TikTok ban,” a user named Heather Roberts said in a video message on Xiaohongshu that has racked up more than 45,000 likes. “We’re just going to a new Chinese app and here we are.”

“This is so much better than TikTok,” another self-described “refugee” said in a video message. “Americans are coming here…I’m sorry you hate us, but I promise we’ll do our best.”

CNN has reached out to Xiaohongshu for comment.

How do Chinese and American users interact on the platform?

The sudden migration of US users to Xiaohongshu has created an unlikely platform for Chinese and American users to interact.

“I just want to assure you that we want to try to find a way to communicate with you and be respectful to your community,” one user said. “We want to be good guests.”

Some American newcomers have appealed to their compatriots to respect Chinese users on the platform.

“Just a quick message to the American users coming here: please don’t bring politics here. “We want to have fun here, we want to have fun here and we want to show respect to the people who are already here,” one user wrote.

Most Chinese users warmly welcomed the newcomers and some even shared video tutorials to help the new “TikTok refugees” navigate the app.

“This could be a historic moment,” one Chinese user commented. “It feels like so much has changed in an instant. Ordinary people from our two countries have never truly connected… I hope everyone can take advantage of this brief opportunity to engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas.”

One person even took advantage of the opportunity presented by the influx of American internet users and asked for help with their English homework in a viral post that received over 2,000 likes.

Ivy Yang, a Chinese technology analyst and founder of consulting firm Wavelet Strategy, said the new American users had “unexpectedly created one of the most organic forms of cultural exchange between the U.S. and China that we have seen in recent years.”

“Users find creative ways to overcome language barriers, navigate cultural differences and coexist in fascinating ways,” she added. “This real-time community building could have a lasting impact, and I’m cautiously optimistic.”

For a brief period in 2021, a similar exchange also took place on the social media app Clubhouse, where Chinese and American users engaged in uncensored dialogue about sensitive topics in virtual chat rooms before Chinese censors intervened and blocked the app.

First of all, Xiaohongshu wasn’t designed for English speakers, while TikTok isn’t available in China at all.

Xiaohongshu’s name could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek reference to a red-covered book containing quotes from Communist China’s founding father, Mao Zedong.

One of the app’s key features is its content algorithm, which focuses on users’ interests rather than the people they follow. Some users say this encourages more original content and reduces the dominance of influential influencers.

The company behind the app, Xingin Information Technology, was founded by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu and is headquartered in Shanghai.

TikTok is owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance and is tailored to a global audience. TikTok is also not accessible in China, where a sister app, Douyin, serves the domestic market.

Lemon8, a lifestyle community app also owned by ByteDance, is currently the second most downloaded app in Apple’s US store.

Lemon8 has a similar video sharing feature to TikTok. Modeled after Instagram and Pinterest, it first launched in the US in 2023.

It’s unclear whether the looming ban on TikTok could also threaten Lemon8’s operations in the US.

The US law passed by Congress last year states that the divestment or ban requirement generally applies to all apps owned or operated by ByteDance. This means that although Lemon8 was not specifically mentioned in the statutes, the ban can also extend to the apps platform.

CNN has reached out to ByteDance for comment.