With the prospect of a TikTok ban on the horizon in the U.S., many Americans are taking to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Red Note, making it the most downloaded app in the U.S.

Dubbed 'TikTok refugees,' these users have chosen Xiaohongshu as an alternative to TikTok and as a method of expressing their protest against a potential TikTok ban.

Xiaohongshu, or 'Little Red Book' in English, is a fast-moving Chinese social media platform that merges e-commerce with user-generated content. Its 300 million monthly active users (mostly young women) seem drawn to its particular blend of visual content and social commerce. Product recommendations and reviews appear to be the kinds of content that especially resonate with their audience. Travel, food, and beauty are the platform's content sweet spots.
 

On Xiaohongshu, the American user base is being greeted with open arms by their Chinese counterparts, who are offering to teach them the language and guide them through the nuances of the Chinese internet. These Chinese students, in a delightful twist, have also reached out to their American counterparts for help with English in order to gain the full benefit of a cross-cultural exchange.