Tiktok Ban
The original little red book is an actual little book about 180 pages containing 267 of Chairman Mao’s quotes. During the cultural revolution, my grandma like every Chinese citizen at the time had to carry it with them at all times. Otherwise, they would get severely punished.
The digital app, Little Red Book (小红书), on the other hand, has no relationship with the authoritarian booklet from the 60s. 红-the word for red, can also mean 'Fire', like 'that’s fire', or popular, and 书 can also mean guide, like a guide for the best coffeeshops in Shanghai.
Media often distorts the truth, especially when it comes to portraying foreign countries, particularly China. Misinformation is dangerous not only in perpetuating stereotypes, but also in creating unwarranted fear of a country, like China for example.
Growing up in China, even in the early 2000s it was still pretty cool when someone spoke English- they’re usually more revered, and well regarded. Two decades later, most kids in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing can speak English fluently.
I just had an entire 1 hour conversation in English with a 17 year old public school kid born and raised in China. On the topic of language, I also want to point out and applaud the Americans learning the Chinese language on RedNote because simply defined: culture is language and food.
Understanding these 2 things will get your foot in the door of the hearts of people from any culture you want to get to know better. It’s only through learning a language are you able to have appreciation of the culture nuances. [I say this with my chest up]
RedNote is much more Chinese than tiktok. The entire infrasturece is in Chinese. Tiktok is the American counterpart to Douyin, and even though they’re similar, the 2 platforms are separated in their operations.
Meanwhile, Rednote is fully in Chinese and only based in China. Tiktok is actually based in Singapore and Los Angeles.
Tiktok has offered many opportunities for people worldwide: musicians, influencers, stay-at-home moms. It’s not about the politics of ownership but about how the app has connected so many people across so many industries and cultures. We built our algorithms brick by brick.
The global tech industry is diverse: tech leaders from China are often misunderstood in the West. In China, tech and entrepreneurship are two fields where government subsidies pour in heavy. Women in China enjoy a lot of power and encouragement especially in entrepenreuship.
China is actually not communist, and certainly not economically. In fact, no one calls China communist except for America. Only America calls China communist. China doesn’t reven egard themselves as communist.
China is actually funny in this sense, they’re like “We gon do what we gon do, you can call us whatever you want lol.” China is transactional and that’s a simple way to explain China and its politics.
Note: Certain powers do get mad when others learn new things or adapt quickly. Tikotk has become such a cultural force and community of authenticity.
As a Chinese-American, I’m here to speak up and say that just like everyone else, we are diverse and cannot be defined by one monolithic way of thinking and certainly not government politics. This is more than a cultural or political issue.
We’ve all been misled in different ways. Media, institutions, and politics can manipulate narratives to serve a certain agenda. Media shapes perceptions and selective narratives often create division.
Edgar Allen Poe said believe nothing that you hear, and only half of what you see.
Tiktok being owned by a Chinese company shouldn’t immediately make it “bad.” It oversimplifies the complexities of global tech and the diverse ways social media can impact people. It's important to recognize that platforms like TikTok have created communities and fostered creative expression across cultures, offering a space for human connection that transcends borders. The attempt to ban this app could cause a lot of anger and further mistrust in Americans and understandably so.
Finished. For now.