英文

Editorial : Influx of TikTok Users into RedNote

【明報專訊】THE US GOVERNMENT'S "ban-or-sale" decree on TikTok is set to take effect on Sunday (19 January). It remains uncertain whether the US Supreme Court will issue a stay of the ban. Hundreds of thousands of American TikTok users have made the pre-emptive migration to another social media platform from mainland China, namely RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), even dubbing themselves "TikTok refugees".

Owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, TikTok is the overseas version of Douyin. In the US, it boasts 170 million users, meaning that one out of every two Americans have a TikTok account. Compared with many American social platforms, TikTok stands out with its algorithm's precise capture of user preferences, allowing niche content to be promoted effectively. Furthermore, unlike X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, it is not deemed to have clear conservative or liberal leanings.

In April last year, the US Congress adopted a bill on the grounds of safeguarding national security, forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok's US business to a US company. Otherwise, the TikTok app would no longer be available for download in the US's Apple and Google app stores starting from 19 January this year. While users could still use TikTok, the lack of support and updates would gradually end its services.

ByteDance argues that the ban violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which concerns freedom of speech. It has made repeated filings to US courts, seeking to overturn the ban for over half a year. The lawsuit has ultimately landed in the US Supreme Court. The Joe Biden administration supports the "ban-or-sale" approach, while President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on 20 January, has reservations about the ban's scheduled implementation. Late last month, Trump submitted legal documents to the US Supreme Court, requesting a delay of the ban so that he could deal with the matter after taking office. There is a reason to believe Trump is using TikTok as a chip for bargaining with Beijing.

The Supreme Court convened last week to hear arguments of both the Department of Justice and TikTok and is expected to announce its ruling within days. Some American and British media outlets have recently claimed that, as the Supreme Court might maintain the "ban-or-sale" ruling, China is weighing up its countermeasures, including selling TikTok's US business to Elon Musk, the world's richest man. TikTok has said that these reports are "pure fiction".

According to Reuters, over 500,000 self-proclaimed "TikTok refugees" have recently flocked to RedNote, propelling it to the top of the US App Store download chart. Foreign media have reported that some American netizens posted videos on TikTok after spending time on RedNote. They had not expected Chinese electric cars to be so inexpensive and well-built, expressing disappointment that they could not be purchased in the US. There was also an American fashion designer who created an account on RedNote to share his own brand. In mainland China, although some users were surprised by the sudden influx of "refugees", they still extended their warm welcome to these newcomers from the US.

This surge of "TikTok refugees" may not last long, but it at least reflects that there is no insurmountable ideological divide between the people of the two nations. Precisely because US politicians portray China as a threat from day to day, more exchanges between peoples of the two countries are needed. Only greater mutual understanding will dispel misconceptions and prejudices.

明報社評2025.01.16:美TikTok難民湧小紅書 民間交流跨越意識形態

美國政府對TikTok「不賣就禁」法令定於周日(19日)生效,聯邦最高法院會否頒令暫緩執行,仍是未知數。數十萬美國用戶近日率先轉移陣地到內地社交平台小紅書,還自稱「TikTok難民」。

TikTok即抖音海外版,由中國科技公司字節跳動持有,在美國有1.7億用戶,相當於每兩名美國人,就有一個TikTok帳戶。美國社交平台眾多,TikTok優勝之處,在於其演算法能精準掌握用戶偏好,讓小眾內容可以有效推廣。另外,它也不像X(前稱Twitter)和facebook般,被指帶有明顯偏向保守派或自由派色彩。

去年4月,美國國會以「維護國家安全」為由通過法案,變相脅迫字節跳動將TikTok美國業務售予美國公司,否則今年1月19日起,TikTok應用程式將不能再從當地的蘋果和Google平台下載,用戶雖然仍可繼續使用TikTok,但在缺乏支援及更新下,平台服務勢將逐步結束。

字節跳動指禁令違反關乎言論自由的美國憲法第一修正案,大半年來一再入稟美國法院,要求推翻禁令,官司一路打到上聯邦最高法院。拜登政府支持「不賣就禁」的處理,反觀將於1月20日宣誓就任的候任總統特朗普,則對禁令如期生效有保留。上月底,特朗普向聯邦最高法院提交法律文件,要求暫緩執行禁令,好讓他上台後處理。外界有理由相信,特朗普只是將TikTok當成跟北京討價還價的籌碼。

聯邦最高法院上周開庭,聽取司法部和TikTok雙方的說法,預料日內公布裁決。近日有美英媒體聲稱,鑑於最高法院可能維持「不賣就禁」裁決,中方正評估應對方案,包括考慮將TikTok美國業務賣給全球首富馬斯克,TikTok方面則指報道純屬虛構。

路透社稱,最近有超過50萬自稱「TikTok難民」的用戶,湧向另一中國社交平台小紅書,令小紅書近日登上美國App Store下載量第一位。外媒報道,有美國網民逛完小紅書後回到TikTok發影片,沒想過中國電動車如此價廉物美,對無法在美國購買感到失望;亦有美國時裝設計師在小紅書開戶,分享自己的品牌。內地方面,雖然部分用戶對突如其來的「難民潮」感到奇怪,但仍非常歡迎這批來自美國的新用戶。

這場TikTok難民潮,未必可以持續很久,但事態至少反映兩國民間並不存在無法跨越的意識形態鴻溝。正因為美國政客天天渲染中國威脅論,中美民間更須加強接觸交流,唯有互相加深理解,才能消除誤會和偏見。

■ Glossary 生字 /

pre-emptive : a pre-emptive action is done to prevent sth from happening, especially sth that will harm you

boast : to have sth that is impressive and that you can be proud of

leaning : a tendency to prefer sth or to believe in particular ideas, opinions, etc.

上 / 下一篇新聞