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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.

  • 31 Non-Sexual Things Men Do That Are Are A Huge Turn-On For Women, And I Agree With Every Single One Of These

    "Women LOVE when you pay attention to this."

  • A doctor accused of sexual abuse by more than 200 former patients is indicted on rape charges

    A grand jury in Massachusetts has indicted a doctor who is accused of sexually assaulting more than 200 former patients over a period of more than a decade. The patients sued Dr. Derrick Todd, who has been accused of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations and other unwarranted procedures on patients dating back to 2010. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office said in a statement Thursday that Todd was indicted earlier that day for “two counts of rape alleging the sexual assault of two women.”

  • 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.”

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • A 13-year-old student in New Jersey fathered a child with his teacher, 34, authorities allege

    Laura Caron, 34, a former college basketball star, was arrested Wednesday and charged with abusing a student from the age of 11 years old while they lived with her at her home in Cape May, NJ

  • Dua Lipa is the ultimate party girl in nude bralette

    The Levitating singer shared a tribute to Simon Porte Jacquemus - see more

  • Democratic senator on Biden’s farewell plea: ‘Now he tells us’

    Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said statements in President Biden’s farewell speech came much too late in a Thursday statement, raising question with the commander in chief’s parting remarks. “Now he tells us. Biden speaks out against dark money, for climate action, and for SCOTUS term limits. I pressed four years for this speech,” Whitehouse posted…

  • China has been stockpiling a key US crop before Trump takes office

    President-elect Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of 60% against all Chinese goods, igniting fears of retaliatory tariffs from China.

  • Journalist disrupts Blinken press conference: ‘How does it feel for your legacy to be genocide?’

    Two journalists disrupted Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s last press briefing Thursday with criticism over his handling of the war in Gaza. “Your father-in-law was an Israel lobbyist. Your grandfather was an Israel lobbyist. Are you compromised by Israel? Why did you allow the Holocaust of our time to happen?” Max Blumenthal, editor of the blog Grayzone, asked…

  • Mom Says Daughter Was Invited on a Friend's Family Vacation — Then She Received a Huge Bill from the Parents

    “I assumed they would only charge us for her food and activities like zip lining. Nope,” wrote the surprised mom in a post on Reddit