TikTok Ban: An Opportunity for Connection

Since its launch in North America in 2018, TikTok has been a successful social media app with millions of users all across the world– teenagers being one of the largest demographics. While TikTok was praised for providing its users with a platform for self-expression, it was also accused of data invasion and nonconsensual data collection.

On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of PAFACA by a unanimous vote, and on January 18, 2025, TikTok was blocked on all devices in the United States due to the law. This ban has also affected some Canadian users. This policy not only enraged TikTok users due to the government’s deprivation of their online “home” but also caused them to find the next substitute for TikTok.

RedNote, another successful Chinese social media that was mainly for Chinese users, has become the center of attention. Within days, RedNote’s foreign user numbers skyrocketed and it became first in the App Store’s download ranking.

Such a high number of foreign accounts in RedNote drew the attention of original RedNote users. Chinese RedNote users are extremely welcoming to the “newcomers” with many Chinese influencers teaching foreign users the Chinese internet language and memes.

The acts of kindness from Chinese and “newcomer” netizens (habitual or avid users of the internet) have not only increased the popularity of RedNote but have also brought an opportunity for cross-cultural communication and understanding that was previously impossible due to the different narratives netizens are exposed to. RedNote posts have varied from teaching foreigners Chinese to sharing daily lives and their experiences with travelling to the West. Some Chinese netizens even helped foreign users to come up with Chinese names. The extent of genuine inclusivity and open-mindedness is surprising.

The phenomenon of the “migration of TikTok users” presents to everyone a possibility of mutual respect and understanding from groups of people who are previously entrapped in the biased and homogenous narrative created by their media. RedNote has proven to millions of s around the world that biases and stereotypes can be “unbreakable” iron wires deeply planted in our system but are also a thin veil easily removed the moment we see each other.