Chinese and U.S. RedNote users discuss social welfare system

The recent exodus of TikTok creators from the United States has sparked a wave of cross-cultural comparisons on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social media platform popularly known as RedNote. It has further fueled the ongoing "audit" of life between Chinese and American netizens on the platform. From comparing welfare to dissecting healthcare costs and educational expenses, these online discussions are challenging deep-rooted stereotypes about life in China compared to that of the U.S.

RedNote is a Chinese social media platform. It's an alternative to TikTok, reports CGTN.

One U.S. netizen, Karen, stated that if ordinary people are not doing well, the United States leading the global economy is meaningless. She noted that the welfare system in America is generally poor, with significant separation between different income groups. In contrast, she observed that China is not as negative as portrayed by Western media. Such unbiased exchanges between the two countries are significant.

Searches for the Chinese social media app RedNote have shot up 99X+ in the last 3 months.

The surge in interest came in response to a TikTok ban in the US. TikTok briefly "went dark" on Saturday, January 18, but service was being resumed within 24 hours. That came amid assurances from incoming president Donald Trump. Even so, RedNote has seen greatly elevated global interest, particularly among American users. The Chinese app, known natively as Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), has over 300 million monthly active users.

Much like TikTok, RedNote allows users to post short-form video, and it also supports text and image-based posts. It has spent much of the last week at the top of the free download charts in the Apple Store in the US.

Exploding Topics data shows that RedNote searches skyrocketed in the past 3 months, as the TikTok ban moved closer to becoming a reality. In the space of three months, searches are up 99X+, with monthly search volume now in the region of 550,000.Initially, TikTok was given a deadline to sell or shut down in the US by January 19, amid concerns over links to the Chinese government.

The Supreme Court heard arguments against the ban, and upheld it - but president Trump has signaled his intention to delay implementation of the law while he works on a "political solution".