The hyper-fragmentation of audiences and uses on social media continues to evolve. This time, it's in reaction to US policies and court rulings. Some users are migrating from TikTok and X to Xiaohongshu and Bluesky. Here's how to learn from conversations on these platforms using social listening.
👁️ On the same topic:
Onclusive Social (formerly Digimind) Adds Bluesky to Social Listening Platform
📃contents :
I. The Migration from TikTok to RedNote (Xiaohongshu)
A. Why this migration?
B. Leveraging Xiaohongshu ("RedNote") with social listening
II. The Migration from X (Twitter) to Bluesky
A. Why this migration?
TikTok faces an imminent potential ban in the United States, with a Supreme Court decision expected soon on legislation that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok's US operations by January 19 or face a ban.
In response, hundreds of thousands of American TikTok users are migrating to Xiaohongshu (known as "RedNote" in English), a Chinese social media platform. On 13 January, the application took first place among free applications in the US App Store. It is also the best social networking application of all the free iPhone applications.
Over 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu in just two days, representing a 200% year-over-year increase in US downloads. This surge caught the company by surprise, leading them to scramble to develop English-language moderation and translation tools.
Many users are joining Xiaohongshu specifically as an act of protest against the US government's decision, with some stating they prefer using a Chinese app they can't understand over platforms owned by Meta or other US companies.
Xiaohongshu is fundamentally different from TikTok - it's more similar to Instagram, focusing on photo slideshows with text rather than short videos. The platform has over 300 million users and is valued at $17 billion.
The influx has led to interesting cultural exchanges between American and Chinese users, with live chat rooms hosting discussions about their respective societies. However, some topics remain sensitive, with Chinese users steering clear of political discussions.
Some experts note this could be temporary, as Xiaohongshu could potentially face similar regulatory scrutiny under the same law targeting TikTok, which applies to all "foreign adversary controlled applications."
The migration is happening alongside similar growth for Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app that experienced a 190% increase in downloads in December, reaching 3.4 million downloads.
TikTok's current US user base is approximately 170 million Americans, representing roughly half of the country's population, making the potential ban particularly impactful.
According to a report, TikTok plans to completely shut down its platform in the US on Sunday, going beyond the law's requirements which only mandate removal from app stores.
Many TikTok users, particularly content creators and younger audiences, have shown interest in Xiaohongshu (literally "Little Red Book") due to several factors. Here's why some are shifting to or exploring this Chinese app:
With the social listening platform Onclusive Social, you can easily collect Xiaohongshu mentions that mention your brand, products, consumer trends, competitors, and more!
There is a significant shift occurring in text-based social media, where users are increasingly leaving X for Bluesky, a platform that recently reached 26 million users. This exodus has several key drivers and interesting implications.
Bluesky crossed the milestone of 20 million users in November 2024.
Sources: Bluesky, Jaz’s Bsky Stats, Statista, TechCrunch
The fundamental appeal of Bluesky lies in its technical and philosophical approach. Founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey but now run by software engineer Jay Graber, Bluesky offers a Twitter-like microblogging experience with some crucial differences. It features a federated structure, allowing users to operate their own servers while maintaining their identity and connections. The platform also gives users more control over their timeline through customized feeds.
The migration from X has accelerated due to several controversial changes under Elon Musk's leadership. These include weakening the block function (which now only prevents interaction but not viewing), transforming verification badges into paid subscriptions, and significantly reducing content moderation. Some observers believe that X has become increasingly hostile towards certain users, with widespread problems of sectarianism or bot activity.
A particularly significant surge in Bluesky adoption occurred after the U.S. election, with the platform gaining over 1 million new users during this period (nov 6-nov 13). Many users, especially those from more liberal-leaning communities, view Bluesky as a "refuge" from what they perceive as increasing far-right activism on X. Notable figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have publicly embraced the platform, praising its more authentic user community.
However, Bluesky faces significant challenges. It competes not only with X but also with other alternatives like Threads (which has 275 million monthly active users) and Mastodon. Moreover, the broader social media landscape is increasingly dominated by video-based platforms like YouTube and TikTok, raising questions about the future relevance of text-based social networks.
As X's cultural influence diminishes, it retains a unique position in online discourse. Meanwhile, Bluesky continues to evolve, recently adding features like direct messaging and video compatibility, though it remains to be seen whether it can recreate the cultural impact that Twitter once had.
X (formerly Twitter) users are exploring or shifting to Bluesky for several key reasons:
As we have just seen with regard to the reasons for migration, since Elon Musk's acquisition, X has made several controversial changes, including paid verification, changes to content moderation, and limitations on free API access.
Some users complain also about increased algorithmic manipulation of their feeds, making organic discovery harder. Some feel X has become a less safe platform due to relaxed moderation policies.
AT Protocol: Bluesky is built on the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT Protocol), which allows greater user control over content and feeds.
Interoperability: Users can eventually migrate between platforms that use the same protocol, reducing dependency on a single company.
Bluesky aims to allow users to choose their own algorithms rather than rely on a single platform-determined feed.
More community-driven moderation tools to tackle misinformation and abusive behavior.
Unlike X’s push toward subscription-based features (X Premium), Bluesky currently provides an ad-free experience with open access to features.
Many users say Bluesky offers a familiar experience, as it was initially funded by Twitter and maintains a similar look and feel.
However, it lacks the extreme changes that have driven many away from X.
Initially invite-only, Bluesky created FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), making it more appealing.
Now that it's opening up, more users are migrating to explore new conversations.
Many dislike X’s aggressive push toward monetization, from subscriptions to increased visibility for paying users.
Bluesky remains free and community-focused, making it attractive to everyday users.
With the social listening platform Onclusive Social, Bluesky monitoring allows you to collect mentions based on keywords related to your brand, products, market trends, and more!
How does this benefit you?
Monitor and analyze Bluesky conversations in real-time alongside existing social channels
Track emerging trends and sentiment across this growing platform
Identify and engage with new influential voices in the Bluesky ecosystem
Maintain comprehensive brand monitoring and crisis detection across all relevant social channels
The social listening tool Onclusive Social monitors the major social medi platforms and alternatives such as Threads, Bluesky and Xiaohongshu.