The embrace of Xiaohongshu/RedNote tells us that those in power are clueless about young people
TikTokers would rather learn Mandarin than use Reels
The scriptwriters for the year 2025 have been working overtime given how much they’ve packed into the first 15 days of January. But who knew they were also capable of having the imagination to dream up a plot line that’s got young Americans organically rushing to join the Chinese-owned app Xiaohongshu/RedNote in defiance of their government’s TikTok ban and then bonding with the citizens of a country that’s been dubbed a threat
Or that TikTok “refugees” would adopt the song Kuranmg China App Aku by Galauhero as their battle cry?
Or that Chinese users of the short-form video app would welcome an influx of Americans with open arms and see them add English subtitles to their posts to aid the “cultural exchange”? In return Americans are “revenge learning Mandarin”.
Xiaohongshu/RedNote topping Apple’s U.S. (and U.K.) App Store serves as a measure of the anger amongst those who face losing access to TikTok as early as Sunday after the government pushed to have the platform sold or banned because of national security concerns over its Chinese ownership.
It also reveals the dark humour of Gen Z, and how much some of them revile homegrown social media apps and the billionaires who control them.
Instagram and Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg has come in for particular criticism with many TikTokers believing that he lobbied the government to have the app shut down so that his company Meta can thrive.
While there’s no evidence that the TikTok ban is connected to him, his full MAGA makeover that’s taken shape in the last week certainly isn’t helping his public image.
Zuckerberg’s bowing and scraping to President-elect Trump by ditching fact-checkers, shunning DEI initiatives at Meta, claiming the corporate world needs more “masculine energy”, adding a long-time Trump ally to the board and donating to the inauguration fund, may appeal to MAGA’s base but most see it as craven.
Comically his turn to the right isn’t what’s stopping TikTokers from moving their content creation efforts from TikTok to his platforms. They’re looking for alternatives because they think his products and algorithims suck.
I joined Xiaohongshu/RedNote yesterday, and it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about. Its navigation is almost identical to TikTok and the surge of “refugees” or “migrants”, as the Chinese users have named them, has meant it’s quickly developed the unhinged energy of the soon-to-be-banned app. From the unserious comments to the content formats to the trending sounds it could be a viable replacement - as well as a f*ck you to the U.S. government.
This video which features a GloRilla and Sexyy Red track, and the response to it, has been widely cited as why Xiaohongshu/RedNote could catch on with U.S. audiences…
Currently a lot of content being served on Xiaohongshu/RedNote caters to the new English-speaking users so it’s difficult to predict what the experience will be once the frenzy subsides. Will big TikTok creators make the leap? Can it retain the interest of U.S. users in the long run? Will relations between the Chinese and the Americans continue to blossom? It’s too soon to say.
YouTube and its TikTok-like Shorts product is the most likely near-term winner of the clock app’s demise. I also wouldn’t be surprised if platforms like LinkedIn, which increasingly serves up recommended video content, also sees an influx of former TikTokers.
Nearly all platforms - including Substack - are making a play for the over 100 million American TikTok users that may not have access to the app come Monday, making the scenario that creators and their audiences scatter across multiple platforms another possibility. Some creators may decide to leave social media altogether.
However it pans out, some appear more determined to send a message to the U.S. government than to find a new home. By swarming another Chinese app they hope to make a mockery of the government’s argument that TikTok’s owners are the issue.
The ban has also prompted many to publicly question the fragility of the U.S. if it feels it needs to suppress an app that they believe promotes free speech. And some are asking whether the action is actually about sustaining U.S. “propaganda” rather than containing a threat from the Chinese.
If the embrace of Xiaohongshu/RedNote actually leads to the creation of a social bridge between east and west and convinces Americans that China offers little threat to them then the TikTok ban-or-sell push will likely go down as one of the biggest policy backfires of all time.
It would also prove just how much the Biden administration and Congress misjudged the depth of feeling for TikTok, and how foolish they were to think a we-know-better tone and an opaque foreign policy rationale would pass the smell test of young people who lack faith in institutions.
So hot right now
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag… The Hills couple lost their home in the Los Angeles fires but gained an army of fans on TikTok who have sent Montag’s much maligned 2010 album Superficial to the top of the charts. Pratt’s frequent vlogging in the aftermath of the tragedy saw him repeatedly go viral leading many Millennials and Gen X-ers to see him in a new light. It’s clearly worked in his favour and he’s gained more than a million new followers.
Class consciousness… Not new but I’m seeing it everywhere:
MrBeast ended his latest video, which sees him help 2,000 people get prosthetic limbs, with a meditation on the ‘absurdity’ of the American health system. It’s remarkable because the YouTuber, who has 344 million subscribers, rarely shares his personal thoughts. He said: “Hey, guys, I want to end this video a little differently than normal. The fact that some of these people had insurance and were denied, that some of these people had insurance but didn't have the right coverage. It just doesn't sit right with me. Their only hope right now of getting a prosthetic leg, so they can walk again, so they can go get a job is for a YouTuber to step in and help them which is absurd. I don't know what the answer is, but I wanted to say this so the 100 million people watching this can get inspired because what I saw when filming this video is just obviously not okay.”
TV host, and onetime Rich Kids of Beverly Hills star, Morgan Stewart McGraw was attacked for talking about her distress over the fires in front of her vast handbag collection that included several Birkin bags…
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Going viral
David Dobrik’s new body… and his return to YouTube after two years. The 28-year-old was one of the biggest stars on the platform back in the late 2010s and 6.8 million people have watched his comeback video in the last week. Plus the TikTok reveal of his new body has been viewed more than 22 million times.
Mugshot Freestyle by Pete and Bas and The Northern Boys… is the unlikely NSFW rap track blowing up on TikTok occupying the third spot on their Top 50 chart. I can not get the lyric “You’re mum’s on benefits, your Dad’s gone mad offa cannabis” out of my brain…
Trends, trends and even more trends
Peak obesity… may have been reached in the U.K. according to one of the biggest online sellers of weight loss drugs like Mounjaro or Wegovy. They believe that because they have million customers taking medication that will help them lose between 15 and 20 per cent of their body weight in the next year, nationwide obesity rates will reverse.
Need to know
How Barstool Sports pay their creators… Dave Portnoy spilled on the way his talent-led media network rewards its presenters during a clapback directed at Grace O'Malley, who recently left the network. Portnoy interpreted comments she made on a podcast as critical of her deal leading him to reveal that she was paid a base salary of $175,000 for co-hosting the Plan Bri Uncut podcast with Brianna Chickenfry. He also explained that she was eligible for 70 per cent of revenue when Barstool sold sponsorships on her personal social media accounts.
If understanding how creators make cash is your kink then please also enjoy Taylor Bell’s breakdown of how she makes $300k as a YouTuber…
This week I’ve been…
THINKING ABOUT LOS ANGELES AND EVERYONE WHO CALLS THE CITY HOME
I poured out my feelings about the tragic wind-fuelled wildfires in my last post and since then…
NBC’s Dateline had me sobbing with this incredible tribute to Los Angeles
I found out about the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery charity which was started by an 8th grader to help girls her age rebuild their lives after many lost everything
OBSESSED WITH
Women complaining about male Instacart shoppers. The comments on this TikTok are wild. Shout out to the woman who ordered tampons but got mushrooms instead.
WONDERING
Where is Hawk Tuah Girl? She hasn't been seen online since December 20 following her crypto coin crashing... no updates on Twitter, Instagram or new episodes of her Talk Tuah podcast. I am intrigued.
WATCHING
The Day of the Jackal on Peacock/Sky Atlantic. Ten episodes of action packed thrills. It’s ace.
STILL WATCHING
Beyonce Bowl on Netflix. I may have reached double digits.
READING
The Anti-Social Century in The Atlantic where Derek Thompson reveals that the experience of in-person social activities has declined to its lowest point ever across every demographic
Our increased isolation may in part be explained by a piece in The Guardian which explores the rise in ‘flaking’ out of social plans
Non-drinkers are the new vegetarians according to The Times
Welcome to the femosphere, the latest dark, toxic corner of the internet… for women also from The Guardian
The brilliant and brave
on what tech billionaires are really trying to achieve with their meddling in her piece Total information collapseMen Find Babygirl "Rather Silly" from the fabulous
highly flammable is produced and written by me, Rachel Richardson
I’m a content creator, commentator and consultant at Beginning, Middle and End
Want more? Check out Threads, Twitter/X and Instagram. I’m also dabbling in some Bluesky thinking.
Email rr@bmend.com