In what might be the least expected side effect of the potential TikTok ban in the US, Americans are proving they’re not quite ready to abandon Chinese apps, just trade one for another instead. While lawmakers rail against TikTok as a supposed “national security threat,” millions of users are finding solace in RedNote, another Chinese platform. It’s a stark contrast to the government’s hopes of redirecting traffic toward homegrown alternatives like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
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The irony is hard to ignore: users who previously swore by TikTok’s uncannily accurate algorithm are now downloading RedNote en masse. The only catch is that RedNote’s interface is not designed for English speakers, which prompted an unexpected spike in interest for learning Chinese. Duolingo even has reported a 216% surge in users picking up the language in the US.
Luckily for the passively aggressive Duolingo owl, the app is now reaping the benefits of this geopolitical drama. The language-learning app climbed to 16th place among free downloads in the US App Store. One could argue that in the battle between banning apps and banning ignorance, the latter seems to be winning—for now.
Meanwhile, TikTokers are refusing to go quietly. The platform’s users have launched a tongue-in-cheek trend, posting farewells to their “personal Chinese spy.” Videos with captions like “Goodbye to my Chinese spy” and tearful goodbyes to perfected algorithms are garnering millions of views. One viral video even features a user playfully warning “Laura from California” to cut down on her Coca-Cola consumption.
@yanxiao1003 No gathering lasts forever #tiktokban #chinesespy ♬ See You Again - Saymon Cleiton & jhonatan Rodrigues
The irony here is a rejection of Reels and Shorts, often criticised for clunky interfaces and poorly curated content. One TikToker bluntly stated they’d rather share their data with the Chinese government and President Xi himself than endure another poorly targeted Instagram Reel.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision, set for January, could either force ByteDance to divest TikTok or ban the app outright. But if the surge in RedNote downloads and the rise of Duolingo are any indication, American users have already made their choice. While Washington worries about who’s collecting the data, users just want their daily dose of short videos, and they’re willing to learn a new language to get it, even if it's as complicated as Mandarin.
For now, it seems the real losers in the TikTok drama aren’t the users or even the Chinese apps, but the domestic platforms failing to win over a loyal audience.
