Focusing on “TikTok refugees” use RedNote to form communities and conneciton . It introduces “embedded transnationality” ,Platform affordances (technical, social, vernacular, hidden)
Its a angle i could not really cover, so its interesting in some of your points you say as I never really understood the point of some things there, still don’t. This is where I think the intent behind things matters – those who come in to seek community may get more from this sort of thing where if your just getting information and using it to maintain some connections with people you basically never do trends.
I will admit, in some ways yours better covered some things. my approach was a more comprehensive look at things both good and bad which I guess makes our approach different on the same trend.
Hey David (Zhang),
What a great presentation you put together! I found your topic really interesting, especially since I hadn’t come across or even heard about platforms like Red Note before or even realised that they could form these kinds of communities.
Your case study was particularly strong and clearly connected to the topic. I also didn’t know that users affected by the TikTok ban last year migrated to these alternative platforms like Red Note, which made your example even more insightful.
As per our Assignment 3.1 requirements, I have a few questions about your presentation.
Question 1: Do you think the connections formed on Red Note through small interactions like ‘cat tax’ and Chinese name requests (as membership cards) suggest that belonging comes more from what people do together, rather than who they are in these communities? And if so, is this kind of everyday interaction enough to build long-lasting communities on Red Note?
Question 2: You mentioned that the Red Note algorithm prioritises emotionally positive and safe content while it downranks political content, direct US vs China comparisons and negative emotions. How do you think this shapes what users choose to share on Red Note? Does it encourage more personal and relatable storytelling, or could it also limit the diversity of voices and experiences represented on the platform?
Question 3: Building on the idea of digital diaspora, do you believe Red Note works as an intercultural space for diasporic communities? And at the same time, do you think that when users post about their diaspora experiences online, they make it seem too simple or too perfect compared to real life?
I am not answering for the assessment, but just as someone who occasionally uses it. Let Him do his answer and let mine just be pure observation to 1 aspect of your questions. Regarding Question 2 I have tested this and its quite inconclusive if it does or not, I had times where some of my more political stuff got more promoted, other times not. I will clarify If you talk politics there understand the quirks of Chinese politics as there is still in the background light censorship. What I found was in public things there is a chance the thread could vanish randomly, but if you talk one on one directly it is generally fine and it never vanishes. Again its just a comment from someone who uses it and does some political stuff on there.
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