this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2025
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Americans are joining the Chinese social media app en masse to protest an imminent TikTok ban.

  • American users have flocked to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu in defiance of security warnings.
  • Chinese and American users have engaged in surprisingly friendly conversations about each other’s lives.
  • The influx of American users could burden Xiaohongshu’s censorship mechanism, experts say.
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[–] callmepk 65 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

I saw people in some Chinese source saying XiaoHongShu is updating the algorithm to segregate Chinese users and foreign users (image 1) and hiring English Post Inspectors (image 2) to moderate English contents due to China’s policy

Image 1:

Image 2:

It’s kind of like why there are Weixin and WeChat, Douyin and TikTok, Taobao and AliExpress, Pinduoduo and Temu

[–] [email protected] 68 points 14 hours ago (5 children)

When I saw the headline, this was my first thought.

But damn, it could have been something cool if reality wasn't so fucking predictable and ugly.

I mean, imagine a reality where a bunch of humans end up using the same service like that, between two countries at odds, and they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought possible. It could be a bridge that changes a world.

Well, that world, because it sure as hell isn't the one we're in

[–] Deway 16 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

The two Spidermen meme :

"You're being lied to!"

"We are?!"

"We thought it was only you guys!"

And then revolution all around the world, utopia, happiness forever.

[–] atrielienz 13 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The Chinese government was never going to let that happen. It threatens their control of their people.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 hours ago

I guess this is one of the few things where China and the US fully agree.

If they'd let their people freely talk it would be way harder to demonize the other side.

[–] callmepk 51 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

I mean, imagine a reality where a bunch of humans end up using the same service like that, between two countries at odds, and they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought possible. It could be a bridge that changes a world.

The answer is Fediverse. From last time I checked while I am in Mainland China, lemmy.world is not banned (yet lemmy.ml is banned lol)

I am also able to use my own Mastodon instance in Mainland China.

Fediverse is the key and tool to break the Great Firewall.

[–] paraphrand 33 points 14 hours ago

Until they turn their gaze to it. I’m sure it’s trivial to block and monitor due to the federated/networked nature.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 14 hours ago

Let's hope it stays that way :)

We don't get to actually interact much with chinese people in China, here in the states. The more all us regular people can get to know each other, the more chance we have of maybe breaking down the artificial barriers that keep us locked into our own worlds

[–] [email protected] 17 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

I mean, imagine a reality where a bunch of humans end up using the same service like that, between two countries at odds, and they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought possible. It could be a bridge that changes a world.

There's a lot of users expressing as much:

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 hours ago

[Winds of Change by Scorpions playing loudly]

[–] [email protected] 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Squizzy 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The liberation of humanity comment is worrying

[–] MintyFresh 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

I know china has done some pretty fucked up things. But they've also built 25,000 miles of high speed rail, and a billion, that's 1000000000, sq ft of new housing, just in the past ten years. I don't know what percentage of the world's solar panels come from China, but I'd bet it's up there. They brought a billion people out of bone crushing stomach churning poverty in the course of a few decades.

When you stack up the fucked up things we in the west have done, vs what China's been up to... If given the option I'd think long and hard about emigrating to china.

[–] Squizzy 1 points 5 hours ago

They are not the devil they are portrayed to be for sure, its a hardline to walk to withold judgement on actions we have moved past. Its why we judge thr middle east for not letting women vote or gays exist despite these things not being too far from our modern society.

That said China works better for the collective while the "leaders of the free world" operate on some notions of personal freedoms. China has absolutely not lifted everyone out of poverty, poverty is still as present to the same extent for a lot of the population. All the while they are a force for misinformation, road blocking progress as a global community. They are an aggressive neighbour for all in their region.

If you want societal progress it need not come with blood and bone, while reducing discourse and enabling authoritarianism. I'd sooner cycle.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I've seen chinese rednote users comparing chinese forums to 4chan and linking another source where the devs said they were working to add translation and other features to help integrate the new userbase.

[–] callmepk 7 points 14 hours ago

This sounds weird… forum culture is mostly dead in China