TikTokers may also flock to YouTube, which remains one of the most profitable platforms for creators on the planet. However, some YouTube users who don’t like seeing YouTube Shorts on the homepage will be upset.
But rather than move on to the popular U.S. app, many contrarian TikTokers are turning to other Chinese-owned apps, such as ByteDance-owned Lemon8. Lemon8 and an app owned by another Chinese company called Xiaohongshu, known to Americans as Red Note, were in the top two spots in Apple’s App Store rankings on Monday, Business Insider reported.
On Red Note, TikTokers are rallying under the hashtag “TikTokrefugee,” The New York Times reported. As of Tuesday, the hashtag had been viewed more than 100 million times and referenced in 2.5 million comments.
A Times review of TikTok videos said TikTok users moved to red note because they “wanted to demonstrate that they do not share the U.S. government’s concerns about TikTok’s relationship with China.” But TikTokers may be in for a rude awakening if TikTok is banned and the Chinese-owned app they chose as their new home becomes the next app to be blocked in the U.S. in the coming months. do not have.
“Foreign enemy-controlled” social media with more than 1 million monthly active users under the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Enemies Act, which mandates the sale or ban of TikTok All apps can be banned. ByteDance and TikTok are both exempted by law, meaning any significant spike in U.S. users of other ByteDance apps would likely come under scrutiny.
It’s unclear whether Red Note would be an easy target for governments, but any Chinese-owned social media app that meets the very basic requirements (more than 1 million monthly active users and the ability to share content for others to see) May be banned. If the Supreme Court upholds the law.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at market research firm eMarketer, told The Independent that TikTokers’ endorsement of apps like Lemon8 “is not specific to other ByteDance apps as it is not specified by law. “They may not be aware of the potential impact.”
