The Techno-Utopian Dreams of the 1990s Are Alive at RedNote (For Now)

The US government will officially ban TikTok on Sunday, January 19, unless the US Supreme Court decides to stop it. last minute decision. The looming ban has prompted many TikTokers to migrate to a new Chinese video sharing app called Xiaohongshu—Red Note or the Red Book, in English-as-common-you to the American ruling class. And with RedNote retaining the top spot on the Apple App Store in the US for a second day, it’s something to behold.

It is not clear whether the Americans will hold on to RedNote for a long time, especially if TikTok will be saved and successfully sold to an American company or if President Donald Trump will intervene in some way. A Bloomberg report that Elon Musk might try to buy TikTok was quickly dismissed by TikTok on Monday night. But it’s interesting to see American and Chinese users discussing the migration to RedNote in more technical terms.

Internet users in the US and China have been separated from the digital mainstream for so long that RedNote users, old and new, are talking about how this feels like an opportunity for a real exchange between ordinary citizens in the two countries. Because back in the 1990s, the idea of ​​a “global village,” where everyone could communicate peacefully around the world, was a big part of humanity’s industrial dream of the future. But things like China’s Great Firewall and US surveillance tools have clouded that vision.

“Seeing TikTok refugees pouring out red notes is very uncomfortable for me,” said Red Note user Zoey. he said in the video. “It reminds me of the early 2000s when the Internet made the global community possible.”

Zoey compared it to how people in the 20th century often behaved pen my friendsa common way to talk to random people you don’t know on the other side of the world. Real letters were exchanged through the postal service, often coordinated through schools, so that children could use their language and writing skills while learning about different cultures. Zoey said that her school exercises were just pretending that she and her fellow students were writing to each other, but the idea was the same.

“I remember that time. In China, when I was young, when I started learning English, we would practice writing by pretending that there was a friend of mine from the United States or the UK,” said Zoey. “And we write them in English. This is very similar to what is happening on Red Note right now. “

Zoey admits it’s “a bit confusing” but says everyone wants to get to know each other better.

“It’s magical how the desire to connect and gather can cross so many boundaries, especially in an age where the internet is so fragmented and algorithms have created such tight spaces that prevent people from understanding each other,” says Zoey. for calling it too magical.

Zoey no longer has to pretend she’s writing to her friend. At least not now. But Zoey knows it could be a lie, and this brief moment could be gone quickly.

“I might be in love with this, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. Like, people can connect and people are interested and want to know each other,” Zoey said. “I don’t know how long this period will last. I am not an optimistic person, but I hope this will last for a long time. “

Some English-speaking users based in China have spoken about how conflicted they are seeing the number of Americans on the app. One producer said he was a TikTok Live host and comes to the Red Note (or Red Book, as he calls it) to complain about the Americans he met on TikTok.

“Red Book is also the place where I can talk about my American customers behind their backs. So I wonder where I should put those things now,” joked the user.

The user also encouraged Americans to start learning Mandarin, a suggestion that appeared frequently to US users testing the site.

But it’s not all a lot of discussion, of course. There are countless jokes on Red Note about American interest. Many users have joked about it to be spies on TikTok I want to continue to spy as more US users move to Red Note. Such jokes have become very popular among Americans on TikTok in recent days and weeks.

Some longtime American Red Note users welcomed the new users but offered advice on everything from ignoring trolls to practicing Mandarin if you can.

“At the end of the day, we’re not that different,” said Red Note user he said in English about the cultural divide between American and Chinese users. But the same user also spoke in the language of Red Note’s “rules”.

“Yes, there are rules here,” the operator says. “This place is very cold, but without rules. To be honest, I don’t know much about it, because I shouldn’t, if you know what I mean.

The user goes on to say that “things you should say” in the United States, “you probably shouldn’t say here.” The user continues, “See what I’m trying to say here?” while urging Americans to “just use common sense.”

The Red Note is not a popular statement from any American who cares about liberal democracy and free speech. The app plays by the Chinese government’s rules, which means you won’t find any criticism of the Communist Party. And China is not a utopia for LGBT people. In recent years we have seen a to break for LGBT advocacy groups and Beijing.

The only place Americans can find more freedom are heads like Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. Social media platforms like TikTok have been playing whack-a-mole to block content to celebrate Mangione but there seems to be no such restrictions on Red Note.

One of the funny things about Americans on TikTok in recent days is that some English-speaking creators who can be enjoyed around the world are not being released on the platform. As one US user named Mystery of Kyle joked about British users staying on the platform, to say“We can’t laugh at each other anymore. What will you do without us?”

“It’s going to be a British show now. And there aren’t many of you guys,” he continued. They’re all in the no-go area with bad food. What are you guys going to do? About tinned fish? There’s someone called tinned fish reviews. Maybe he will be the first to make this program when we leave.”

The goals of the global community on the Internet were always romantic. The US intelligence community helped create the Internet from its earliest days 1960s and 70sand NSA and CIA spying ever since. The Internet was created by the Cold War, and the borders of the Internet were established along Cold Warrior battle lines. The first Internet node outside the US, after all, was set up in Norway for monitoring Soviet nuclear tests.

China, although late to the Internet party, has a government that has been watching the Internet for as long as America’s, controlling and restricting its population by blocking access to American websites for years. And now it’s time for America to learn about the main ways to monitor and ban TikTok.

If there is a critical mass of Americans on the Red Note weeks from now, the US government may take action to ban the program based on “national security” concerns. But with Trump taking office on Monday, it’s unlikely that new restrictions on Chinese technology will be front-page news. With everything Trump has promised to do on the first day – from mass deportations to a crackdown on political opponents – another banned program is just about any other Monday in America.