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  • 'I hope new users stick around': U.S. influencer on 'TikTok refugees'

    STORY: "Welcome to Chinese social media' says Paul Ashton, an American influencer in China who is no stranger to 'Red Note', the social media platform known in China as Xiaohongshu.This week, a person close to the platform told Reuters more than half a million American users piled into the platform in protest of an imminent ban on Tiktok.Ashton is based in Shanghai, but online he goes by Baobaoxiong - literally, 'hug hug bear' - and his videos have billions of views.He was excited to see the surge of so-called 'TikTok refugees' as a foreigner in China and RedNote veteran."I have loved seeing the way, the enthusiasm and the joy at which I've seen a lot of Chinese netizens engaging with people that are English speakers. Like, one of my favorite memes I've seen so far is just like, "hello, Americans, show us your cats!" Like, if there's one thing that binds the internet, it's that we all love cat pictures, you know?"While China has for years tightly controlled its cyberspace through its "Great Firewall" - and Chinese social media platforms have in the past run separate domestic and abroad versions of their apps, RedNote is unique as it only maintains one version of its app and it gives both Chinese and American users a rare opportunity to interact directly with each other."I'm not sure how many of the new users will actually stick around and hang out. But I hope that they do.""Because I think that that would be a really important shift in cultural exchange that for the first time in a long time, puts the ball in China's court a little bit more. But then even more specifically, puts the ball in the hands of Chinese people in China."In China, RedNote as a platform is popular for finding recommendations for beauty, travel or food.On Wednesday many of its users posted selfies and messages welcoming new American users.Though Beijing-based academic Liu Xingliang, who studies the digital economy, says RedNote was caught unprepared."It is an accident. But since it is an accident, it is actually good for them, and there also may be certain risks. If they want to catch this wave of prosperity, I think they may have to do at least a few things. The first thing is to make your interface and UI more friendly.""It is the first time that a large number of people have had such a very large-scale exchange, and the exchanges between the two sides are relaxed and enthusiastic. From what I've seen, they were all learning about each other's living habits, local conditions and customs."There were also signs that some new foreign users were testing the platform's censorship limits with some posting on social media network X that they were unable to post about topics known to be sensitive in China such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.For now - China's welcoming the migration of TikTokers to RedNote with open arms.Chinese state media CCTV ran reports saying that TikTok users had found a "new home".And China's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday the use of social media is a "personal choice", and China "encourages and supports" people-to-people exchanges.

  • As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out

    TikTok has warned of a looming shutdown in just six days, as the Supreme Court is currently weighing the law that would ban the app. The law gives TikTok parent company ByteDance until January 19 to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban in the country. TikTok is hoping for a pause to the law, but if that doesn’t happen, the app will effectively be banned in the country.

  • Leonardo DiCaprio Donates $1 Million to Fire Relief Efforts: ‘The Los Angeles Wildfires Are Devastating Our City’

    Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $1 million to Los Angeles fire relief efforts. “The Los Angeles wildfires are devastating our city,” the Oscar winner wrote in a message on Instagram stories. “I am committing $1 million in partnership with @rewild’s Rapid Response Program to support both urgent needs and post-fire recovery efforts. Initial aid will immediately …

  • Trump Didn’t Bother Telling Mel Gibson About His New Job

    Mel Gibson is just as surprised as you are. The controversial Hollywood star apparently found out about his new diplomatic posting at the same time as the rest of the world when President-elect Donald Trump announced he would be appointing actors Sylvester Stallone, Jon Voight, and Gibson as his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. In true Trump fashion, he said the new roles were part of his effort to the American film industry “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

  • American killed fellow Goldsmiths student ‘after she urged him to take an STI test after sex’, court told

    Joshua Michals is accused of leaving partner and fellow student Zhe Wang to die in a ‘pool of blood’

  • Trump names and shames 11 people on his White House blacklist for second administration

    The list includes some of Trump’s well known ‘enemies’ who served in his first administration

  • Li Jing says sorry for blurting out identity of Jeannie Hsieh's child's alleged father

    The TV personality says she thought that the man's identity is public knowledge

  • 'Zip it!': Tui flight attendant praised for reaction to racist remarks as flight erupts into chaos

    The flight attendant said she would call the pilots and the police if the chaos continued

  • Singapore’s only Chinese-American restaurant since 1990 ceasing operations on 1 Mar 2025

    The post Singapore’s only Chinese-American restaurant since 1990 ceasing operations on 1 Mar 2025 appeared first on SETHLUI.com.

  • Mom Washes Dirt Out of Sons' Mouths and Vacuums It Off Her Floor. Days Later, She Learns It Wasn't Dirt (Exclusive)

    The mom of three turned her back for just a minute

  • Hapless Antony coughs up a miss of the season contender against Southampton

    He’s been the £80 million signing who has turned into a figure of fun among football fans – but Antony’s Manchester United career hit a new low with this contender for miss of the season in the victory over Southampton.

  • Trump’s Inauguration Invites Are Huge Middle Finger to Biden

    Donald Trump has fired a defiant riposte to Joe Biden’s parting warning that a tech titan oligarchy is threatening America’s democracy. The president-elect has invited the world’s wealthiest billionaires to join his family and former U.S. presidents in prime positions on the dais for Monday’s inauguration ceremony. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Shou Zi Chew will take pride of place outside the Capitol in a clear show of money power behind the new administration.

  • No one does daring fashion like Zendaya. Photos show the boldest looks she's worn.

    Zendaya has become a style icon. Here's a look at the most daring outfits she's ever worn, from see-through dresses to silver armor.

  • Joshua Zirkzee was a monumental misfit reduced to tears – now he is a game-changer

    He did not score. He did not even come close to scoring. It was emphatically hat-trick man Amad Diallo who was Manchester United’s matchwinner. But it was Joshua Zirkzee who was the game-changer against Southampton. What a difference from the last time he was on the pitch at Old Trafford just 17 days ago.

  • Transfer news LIVE! Gyokeres to Arsenal, Sesko latest; Chelsea want Garnacho; Man Utd target prefers Liverpool

    Gunners ready to sign striker with one huge deal already agreed

  • Rita Ora can't get enough of this orange itsy bitsy bikini

    The singer just showed off her toned physique while soaking up the sun in New Zealand. See photos

  • Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness's Divorce Is Getting "Messy" Thanks to No Prenup and a "Huge Amount of Money"

    Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness's divorce is getting super messy thanks to their lack of prenup and a "j\huge amount of money."

  • Poor People Who “Married For Money” And Rich People Who “Married For Love” Are Sharing What It’s Really Like, and Wow

    "I married for love — my husband came from a poor family and didn’t have a high-paying job. After we got married, I realized he had hid a lot of debt from me: credit card, student loans, and the wedding, which I was told was taken care of. We’ve been married for eight years, and I have been the breadwinner and sole provider for at least half the marriage. I do find myself wishing I married for money, out of pure exhaustion."

  • Who is President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee, the political couple mired in scandal?

    The impeached president has been arrested for declaring martial law after months of political scandal

  • Transgender girl stabbed by Snapchat gang, court hears

    A transgender girl was repeatedly stabbed by a group of masked youths after lying about her gender and then performing a sex act on a boy, a court has heard.