MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
This morning, the most downloaded free app in Apple's App Store was a Chinese-owned social media site.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
But it's not TikTok. It's actually called Xiaohongshu, which is known here in the U.S. as RedNote. It's one of China's biggest social media platforms.
KELLY: That's right. American users are flocking to the site, looking for a TikTok alternative because of the potential ban looming. And the irony that they are moving to another Chinese-run app is not lost on them. Users like TheSleepyDM say that's part of the appeal.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK)
THESLEEPYDM: Did the U.S. government forget our founding principles? We are a nation built on spite.
CHANG: Most of the app is in Chinese, so user Kris Dew is trying to learn Mandarin.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KRIS DEW: (Speaking Mandarin).
Why does it literally feel like the first day of school? Like, we're the new kids, and we don't know where anything is. Like, what's cool here?
KELLY: User Briton.Ray (ph) may have first-day jitters, but many Chinese users on RedNote, like Wendy Simpson, are standing by.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK)
WENDY SIMPSON: Hello, TikTok refugees. I'm here to help you better understand this platform.
CHANG: Whether TikTok does get banned or whether RedNote does, for that matter, content creators like Kaleah Denise will find a place to grow their platforms. But she's got one big question.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK)
KALEAH DENISE: How do we get paid on that app, though?
KELLY: Great question, Kaleah.
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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