U.S. TikTokers flock to Xiaohongshu, baffling and bonding with Chinese users
restofworld.org
Americans are joining the Chinese social media app en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban.

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.
  • callmepk@lemmy.worldEnglish
    51·
    9 hours ago

    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.worksEnglish
      512·
      8 hours ago

      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

      • Deway@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        3 hours ago

        The two Spidermen meme :

        “You’re being lied to!”

        “We are?!”

        “We thought it was only you guys!”

        And then revolution all around the world, utopia, happiness forever.

      • atrielienz@lemmy.worldEnglish
        82·
        3 hours ago

        The Chinese government was never going to let that happen. It threatens their control of their people.

      • callmepk@lemmy.worldEnglish
        472·
        8 hours ago

        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.

        • paraphrand@lemmy.worldEnglish
          30·
          8 hours ago

          Until they turn their gaze to it. I’m sure it’s trivial to block and monitor due to the federated/networked nature.

        • southsamurai@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          231·
          7 hours ago

          Let’s hope it stays that way :)

          We don’t get to actually interact much with chinese people in China, here in the states. The more all us regular people can get to know each other, the more chance we have of maybe breaking down the artificial barriers that keep us locked into our own worlds

      • alcoholicorn@lemmy.mlEnglish
        151·
        8 hours ago

        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.

        There’s a lot of users expressing as much:

    • alcoholicorn@lemmy.mlEnglish
      63·
      8 hours ago

      I’ve seen chinese rednote users comparing chinese forums to 4chan and linking another source where the devs said they were working to add translation and other features to help integrate the new userbase.