Thoughts on TikTok refugees

1/ A looming TikTok ban is driving viral growth on Red Note—a Pinterest/IG hybrid. A Chinese idiom says: “When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman benefits.” I worked at a TikTok competitor in 2019, and rumors of sanctions were constant. Ironically, it’s not YouTube Shorts or IG Reels capitalizing on this moment—it’s Red.

2/ This reminds me of the surge of Mastodon and Bluesky after @elonmusk took over X. Will TikTok “refugees” return? Unlikely. Losing followers and networks once is painful enough. People will learn to pronounce “Xiao-Hong-Shu,” and it’s only a matter of time before Red nails its translation and recommendation algorithms.

3/ This proves the value of @farcaster and other decentralized social apps. Red Note can still face bans or policy crackdowns, and creators remain vulnerable. True ownership of your audience and social graph can only happen at the protocol level. The future of social is bigger than any single app—thoughts? @dwr.eth

A sufficiently decentralized social network. farcaster.xyz

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