Four days before the deadline for the law which aims to remove TikTok application stores and prevent it from working without a VPN, a considerable number of American users are organizing. Since January, a vague estimate of 700 million people abandoned this platform for RedNote (also named Xiaohongshu), a Chinese social network.
Under these circumstances, registrations for Duolingo to learn Mandarin jumped 216% in the United States. eThe impact on the app’s rankings in mobile stores is already being felt.
A digital and cultural migration
Planned for January 19, 2025TikTok’s ban has pushed millions of American users to look for alternatives. Among them is RedNote, a popular platform that attracts “refugees TikTok” keen to maintain their presence on social media. This transition is not without irony, as it involves a move from one Chinese app to another despite initial concerns about data collection by Chinese companies.
Designed primarily for a Chinese audience, RedNote nevertheless presents a significant language barrier : its default interface is in Mandarin. This has prompted many American users to turn to Duolingo to learn the language. According to the language learning app, Mandarin course registrations have increased by 216% compared to the same time last year with a notable spike in mid-January when RedNote adoption exploded.
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Duolingo capitalizes on the trend
Faced with this sudden craze for the Chinese language, Duolingo reacted with humor and creativity. On social networks, the company published ironic messages such as “Oh so NOW you are learning Mandarin,” accompanied by promotional videos featuring its emblematic mascot. These contents quickly attracted attention and some accumulated more than 620 000 likes on TikTok.
Furthermore, the data provided by Appfigures reveal that Duolingo saw an increase in 36 % downloads in the United States on l’App Store et Google Play at the beginning of January.
An opportunity for RedNote and its users
While some Americans are working to learn Mandarin to navigate the platform, Chinese users have expressed excitement about this new international audience.
Unexpected cultural exchanges emerged, from requests for help with English homework to humorous discussions about cultural differences.
SOURCE : TECHCRUNCH
