this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2025
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Americans are joining the Chinese social media app en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban.

  • American users have flocked to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu in defiance of security warnings.
  • Chinese and American users have engaged in surprisingly friendly conversations about each other’s lives.
  • The influx of American users could burden Xiaohongshu’s censorship mechanism, experts say.
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[–] SpikedPunchVictim@lemmy.world 50 points 4 days ago (7 children)

This might have an interesting side effect. Western voices and opinions being shared enmasse with Chinese youths on platforms they're comfortable with. It will be interesting to see how the Chinese government responds to this

[–] TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 29 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm on the app and, honestly, I have been seeing the exact opposite. Loads of American users are seeing, for the first time, that folks in the PRC don't have it so bad.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 50 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Consistent problem with fascists who want you to hate outsiders. When those barriers fall, it turns out that most of the "enemy" are just people who want to live their lives.

This goes both directions.

[–] CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago (3 children)

But the Chinese people were never the enemy. The only ones who push that narrative are people who want to sow division and hatred.

It's the CCP and US government that are at odds with one another. The issue with TikTok is the CCP has control and influence over content served to Western uses.

[–] LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

This. There is a reason why China has been censoring the internet so much, and why Russia and to a lesser degree Türkiye started doing it as well. And why two of the three most powerful people in the US apart from Trump control like 2/3 of all social media.

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[–] rimjob_rainer@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It will be interesting to see how the ~~Chinese~~ US government responds to this

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 13 points 4 days ago

That's easy. Some more propaganda about hating the everyday Chinese person (who we have far more in common with) and banning the app.

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[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 21 points 4 days ago (5 children)

Man, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts must be really shit if the TikTokers didn't even consider them for a second lmao

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[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 33 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Good for them. People should be free to live their lives.

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[–] john89@lemmy.ca 54 points 5 days ago (3 children)

This is a fine example of how the american government doesn't care about the interests of americans.

The government only exists to serve the wealthiest among us. Some of those wealthy people are upset that Chinese aristocrats are getting all that money.

This trade war only exists because rich americans want more money for themselves. It has nothing to do with national security and you're a useful idiot if you think otherwise.

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 41 points 4 days ago (39 children)

You don’t lift 800+ million people out of poverty by concentrating all of the profits among a small few. And China has increasingly been prosecuting their wealthy.

Which is what they really don’t want us learning to do.

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[–] Dupree878@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I’m amazed at all the CCP dick sucking here. It’s like I stumbled into r/Sino

操你中國政府

[–] meep_launcher@lemm.ee 16 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Yea, I made a post to my people to come to the fediverse. While we have capitalist and communist forums, ultimately the fediverse sits in the anarchist camp.

I like it because I'm suspicious of tankies and hate musk fucks. A nice 3rd option.

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[–] ryper@lemmy.ca 147 points 5 days ago (34 children)

Youtube and Instagram tried for years to lure in Tiktok users, and they failed so badly that even with Tiktok potentially getting banned, people would rather switch to a different potentially sketchy Chinese app.

[–] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 77 points 5 days ago (7 children)

That they specifically went to another sketchy app is what gets me the most.

I could name tons of social network alternatives that are decentralized, give users control but for some reason those are sidelined as everyone suddenly wants an account on app they never heard off a few weeks ago and its main selling feature is that is at least as insecure and censored as tiktok..

[–] AltheaHunter@lemmy.blahaj.zone 60 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They're looking for a "fuck you" to the US government more than they're looking for a new social media. Maybe it will stick as a popular platform, but I suspect it was chosen more for its name and ties to the CCP than any actual features.

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 36 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I can see the logic. If I used these apps I'd rather have a different sketchy government spying on my than my own.

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[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Just proving US government right tbh.

So, US said: "TikTok is too powerful and has too much influence" and then people continue to be influenced. I kid you not, most trending rednote tiktoks right now are about price comparison between China and US with topics like: "veggies are like 2$ in China when they are 6$ in the US" with absolutely zero awareness of how economies work:

  • median hourly salary in the US: 27 USD
  • median hourly salary in China: 5 USD

Chinese vegetables are more expensive.

You could attribute this to people just being financially stupid but I think there's definitely some truth from US government pov that China has a lot of propaganda power over US citizens and I say this as non-american myself as it's quite apparent as a 3rd party observer.

Personally I still think low level laws that protect privacy of all americans is the way to go but America will never sacrifice free market money like that.

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[–] essteeyou@lemmy.world 72 points 5 days ago (7 children)

Is it that surprising that your average person in another country is easy to get on with? I've been to a fair few different countries and the everyday people you interact with are lovely (except France).

It's the fucking politicians you've got to look out for, and not just the foreign ones.

[–] hydroxycotton@lemmy.world 36 points 5 days ago (13 children)
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[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That backfired real good, didn't it?

[–] SoftTeeth@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Turns out we know we're all being spyed on constantly and don't really care what authoritarian shithole (US or China) is creeping on us

We care more about the content of the app.

[–] Papacito8400@lemmy.today 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Are they allowed to talk about tiananmen massacre I wonder.

[–] Breezy@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Are they allowed to talk about &%$!@$+×# &%;%$ I wonder.

Whats that?

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[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 19 points 4 days ago (3 children)

The hexies are so excited about this too. They've got a thread up (erroneously) hoping that Americans will now stop believing that Chinese people are bad, because they can't face the truth that Americans (who aren't magats) only think the Chinese government is an authoritarian shit show and have no problem with regular Chinese citizens.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 55 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Solidarity amongst the working class, no matter what imaginary made up boundaries divide us.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

Exactly. When workers start talking to each other across borders (national and otherwise) and as equals that's like one of the crucial steps for positive change. No worker in China ever denied me medicine or raised my rent.

[–] bestagon@lemmy.world 29 points 4 days ago

Xenophobia and racism exist in America outside of the trump ultras. Hell, outside of the republican party even

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I thought the difference in humor would take a while to bridge but it's very familiar. Day in the life of an american type videos with road rage, burgers, shitcoins, podcasts and pancakes

[–] callmepk@lemmy.world 93 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

I saw people in some Chinese source saying XiaoHongShu is updating the algorithm to segregate Chinese users and foreign users (image 1) and hiring English Post Inspectors (image 2) to moderate English contents due to China’s policy

Image 1:

Image 2:

It’s kind of like why there are Weixin and WeChat, Douyin and TikTok, Taobao and AliExpress, Pinduoduo and Temu

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 100 points 6 days ago (17 children)

When I saw the headline, this was my first thought.

But damn, it could have been something cool if reality wasn't so fucking predictable and ugly.

I mean, imagine a reality where a bunch of humans end up using the same service like that, between two countries at odds, and they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought possible. It could be a bridge that changes a world.

Well, that world, because it sure as hell isn't the one we're in

[–] callmepk@lemmy.world 72 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I mean, imagine a reality where a bunch of humans end up using the same service like that, between two countries at odds, and they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought possible. It could be a bridge that changes a world.

The answer is Fediverse. From last time I checked while I am in Mainland China, lemmy.world is not banned (yet lemmy.ml is banned lol)

I am also able to use my own Mastodon instance in Mainland China.

Fediverse is the key and tool to break the Great Firewall.

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[–] Dancermouse@lemmy.world 23 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Remember when it was called musical.ly and everyone thought it was the cringiest thing ever and wished it would die…. Lol

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[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 63 points 6 days ago (55 children)

I've seen a bunch of companies claiming us users are flocking to them. I guess we shall see where users end up

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[–] LouNeko@lemmy.world 46 points 6 days ago (7 children)

😳😳😳 Westerners not voluntarily giving personal information to the Chinese government for 5 seconds [Challenge Impossible (They caught us)] 😵😵‍💫😧

[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 34 points 5 days ago (7 children)

They already bought all our info from Facebook and Google so why not?

Besides, what are they going to do with it that's worse than what an American company will?

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