RedNote, also known as Little Red Book, is a social media and e-commerce platform that works like a hybrid of Instagram, Pinterest and Amazon, allowing users to share lifestyle content, discover product reviews and shop directly within the app. — Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa
SINGAPORE: A mix of Instagram, Pinterest and Amazon, Chinese jack-of-all-trades app RedNote first came to the attention of many in Western countries as a potential haven for 'TikTok refugees' amid threats by the US government to ban the better-known Chinese platform.
In the meantime, Shanghai-headquartered RedNote has grown in popularity across South-East Asia, particularly among the region's Chinese-descent diaspora, which makes up around 15% of the population of Thailand, around a quarter of Malaysia's and a majority in Singapore.
According to the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, RedNote has increased its foothold in the region to play "critical roles" across "various sectors" such as tourism and online shopping but also culture and politics.
Unlike apps such as WeChat and TikTok, which are overseas versions of Chinese originals Weixin and Douyin, respectively, there is only one RedNote regardless of location.
RedNote is called Xiaohongshu, or 'Little Red Book', in its homeland – in a nod to Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China. There it is "subject to greater content regulation from the Chinese government" than other platforms that operate overseas, the ISEAS paper reported in December.
Despite the Chinese walls separating TikTok and WeChat from their home country equivalents, both have come under pressure in North America and Europe.
The Trump administration’s proposed TikTok ban – which would have required China-based parent company Bytedance to sell the business to a foreign buyer for the app to remain available in the US – was couched in national security and privacy concerns.
TikTok has also come in for criticism and legal action in Europe, with Vienna-based data privacy group Noyb earlier this year accusing the app – and compatriots such as Shein, Temu and WeChat – of "unlawful data transfers to China."
According to ISEAS, RedNote's prospects for further growth could hinge on how it manages "regional concerns" over whether it will "adhere to local content laws and address other security concerns."
Earlier this month, Taiwan announced a one-year ban on RedNote, with police citing fraud and scam allegations said to have cost local users almost US$8mil (RM32.68mil), as well as reluctance to cooperate with investigators from the app's management. – dpa
