ByteDance only has a few days left to find a buyer for TikTok in the United States. Otherwise, the popular Chinese social network could be forced to close its doors in the country due to national security concerns. There are several possible scenarios, but the closure of TikTok seems closer and closer.
It remains less and less clear how the problem will be resolved, but the uncertainty linked to one of the most important events in the world of social networks has had an unexpected consequence: Mandarin learners on Duolingo have been growing like wildfire.
Behind this trend is an alternative to TikTok called RedNote
Pictures | Duolingo
Duolingo itself confirmed the increase in a post on its official X profile, stating that the number of Mandarin Chinese students has increased in the United States by approximately 216% compared to the same period of the previous year. The company includes a graphic in which the TikTok logo appears crossed out in reference to its possible ban in the United States.
The reason for this sudden interest in learning the language seems to be related to Red notean alternative to TikTok which is experiencing significant growth in the number of users. Duolingo itself refers to this application in a video published on TikTok in which we can see that Duolingo and RedNote appear in a folder with the name “new favorite apps” (new favorite apps, in Spanish).
From Reuters they said yesterday that over half a million TikTok users have switched to RedNotean application called in China Xiaohongshu. Some of the app's interface is in English, but almost all of the content posted on RedNote is in Mandarin Chinese and that's what seems to be sparking the sudden interest in learning the language.
In fact, the arrival of tens of thousands of new users has led to interaction between veteran RedNote users and newcomers: many ask cultural questions and ask for help with questions related to math or English. Another app that has seen increasing popularity is Lemon8, also owned by ByteDance.
Cover image | Xataka Android
In Xataka Android | If you don't have enough with one TikTok, in China they have eight
