When one app closes, another opens, leading to competition for TikTok. Google searches for the app RedNote have gone up by 100% and the app now has over 300 million monthly active users. Lemon8 has also just tripled their users, reaching 12 million downloads in the U.S. according to Exploding Topics.
On January 19, the famous social media app, TikTok, was banned for one day in the U.S. The controversy was due to worries about U.S. national security and user privacy. Junior Julianna Bayona said, “I was so shocked it actually got banned. I still have the screenshot from when the app went down.” Although TikTok went down, apps with similar concepts such as RedNote, Youtube Shorts, Lemon8, and Instagram Reals rised in numbers.
The Chinese app RedNote or Xiaohongshu, which means Little Red Book, was a lot of people’s second choice after the TikTok ban. “I checked it out and it was okay, not better than Tik Tok though,” said senior Blanca Nunez. The app launched in 2013 and is a mix of Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. The original name for the app was “Hong Kong Shopping Guide” and was aimed towards tourists or people looking for new places to travel. Over time, the app grew, but during COVID-19 the app skyrocketed among the young generation. According to the website SendShort, RedNote is valued at $17 million and gets their money through advertising, e-commerce, marketing tools, and brand collaborations.
Lemon8 is also making a come up after the ban. Many have described Lemon8 to be most similar to Pinterest, allowing you to scroll through ideas and have your very own for you page. Senior Grace Moreno said, “I haven’t downloaded the app yet, but I have heard good things about it.” Much of Lemon8’s content revolves around fashion, food, and working out. The owners of Lemon8, ByteDance, launched the app in Japan 2020 before it made its way to the US in 2023. The main difference between Lemon8 and Tik Tok is that Lemon8 gives you the option to scroll photos instead of videos.
