With the scare of the TikTok ban in the United States, users of the app needed a new social media outlet to fill the void that would be left as a result. Days leading up to the national ban, many people began the search for a new app similar TikTok.
The platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos became very popular with its simple layout for users to scroll through for hours on end.
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) kinesiology major Yeremik Acevedo felt the app also served as a source of connection for the world.
“I think it [the TikTok ban] was unreasonable because we all felt connected in some type of way because we learn new things there and there should be other ways to not ban it,” Acevedo said.
While some simply switched to Instagram for reels, or YouTube for shorts, others were not satisfied by these replacements and needed an app more like TikTok.
RedNote, the Chinese-owned social media platform quickly rose through the charts on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, with the app reaching the number one spot on each respective app store.
But what is RedNote? RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, is a China based social media app with traits very similar and almost identical to TikTok, with other users of the app finding it to be a combination of TikTok and Instagram.
In the week leading up to the national ban, over three million Americans signed up for RedNote. These “TikTok refugees” as they called themselves, quickly moved to the social media app. The people who made their way over to RedNote ranged from content creators to daily users of TikTok to fill whatever needs or wants they had.
Although the community of RedNote welcomed the U.S. users with open arms to the platform, the application posed an interesting conundrum.
When opening the app, the terms and conditions displayed to new users were in Mandarin, the native language of China. While some Americans possess the skill of understanding this language, others simply agreed to them with no caution. With the terms and conditions, a major concern for the RedNote app was the platform requiring users to abide by the Constitution of the Republic of China.
Because of these terms and conditions, the app has been flagged by analysts and experts to pose an even greater risk to security and privacy than TikTok ever did. This issue was the original reason for the TikTok ban as the parent company ByteDance is stationed in Beijing, China.
The national ban brought with it many grievances from users. Many citizens believed this was a clear violation of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and press. Others such as content creators and small business owners who started on TikTok were in jeopardy of losing their livelihood’s, which led to these users moving to RedNote.
UTEP Woody L. Hunt College of Business student Jose Emiliano disagrees with the ban altogether, finding it harsh and unfair for Americans.
“As far as the ban goes, I didn’t really approve of it. I didn’t think Congress should have passed that to begin with. I think it kind of impedes our freedom of press. TikTok actually has helped a lot of people. So, with that too I kind of disagree.” Emiliano said.
The day many Americans had been dreading finally came knocking, and on Jan. 19 at around 8:30 p.m. MT, TikTok officially went dark.
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.” Was the message all American TikTok users received when the ban went into effect.
However, this message wouldn’t last long as TikTok came back to life on Jan. 20. “Welcome Back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” Was the new message displayed, leaving some users to question the state of TikTok and its future.
UTEP multimedia journalism student Christian Garza finds that the statements and videos on TikTok could possibly lead to another ban.
“I think TikTok is kind of controversial. So, it’s always tough to predict if it’s going to be safe from a ban or not just because the opinions on it are skewed, you know. I say for now it’s safe, but in the long run it might go through a ban or some changes at least.” Garza said.
At its current state, TikTok has been given a 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires a sale or ban of the platform. The extension was granted by President Donald J. Trump after signing an executive order his first day back in office.
It’s hard to predict the future of TikTok and its presence in the United States. But with the app remaining for a couple more months, users are sure to enjoy it while it lasts and return RedNote back to the shelf.
Joseph Montero is a staff reporter for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected].
