The story is buried in the source code ;)

Humanity, on whole, is such a disappointment. I’m grateful for the resistance I know but jfc…

That’s not what remarkable means, though. But, yes. English is ridiculous.

So because it’s behind a strong paywall I was only able to scrape the page source get the story.

The story reveals an ironic turn of events in early 2025 regarding social media platforms and US-China tech relations:

1. A surge of American users have begun flocking to Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), a Chinese social media app, in protest of potential TikTok restrictions in the US. They’re doing this in the name of “free speech” - which is ironic given China’s strict content controls.

2. Key statistics:

• In early 2025, 22% of Xiaohongshu’s total app downloads came from the US (up from just 2% in the same period in 2024)
• Downloads increased more than 20 times in a single week in January 2025

3. This has created several challenges for Xiaohongshu:

• The platform was caught off guard and initially had no capacity for censoring English content
• Existing Chinese users (70% female, half born after 1995) are complaining about the flood of foreign posts
• The company had to modify its algorithms to show less English content to Chinese users

4. The situation has also created some unique opportunities:

• Chinese brands like Luckin Coffee and Li Auto are using the platform to reach American audiences
• It may serve as an unofficial tourism campaign for China
• The platform has become a rare bridge for US-China civilian exchange, as it’s one of the few Chinese apps that allows foreign users to register without strict ID verification

5. However, there are concerns about sustainability:

• Xiaohongshu employs over 30% of its 15,000 workers as content censors
• The platform must balance keeping Chinese regulators happy while accommodating new foreign users
• The language barrier and different user expectations pose long-term challenges

The situation highlights the complex dynamics of US-China tech relations and the unintended consequences of attempts to restrict social media platforms.

“Remarkable” seems to be generously applied here

I hate that I read that in his voice

I feel like there’s a lot more context to this than is being reported

Yea. Imperial boomerang in full effect.

I’m sorry =(

It doesn’t hurt to have more! I don’t own but I am applying and going to train at my local gun range. And I am encouraging lots of friends to do the same.

The only way to fight fascism is with taking fascists for a drive out the a nice farm. The right have their para-military creeps. We are going to need our own.

Can’t expect much out of the economist before or after a fascist takeover

Shocking how Russia approves of its own plans

Same, friend. Hard same.

How many Palestinian journalists, activists, and peace organizations do you follow?

I think it was you who said it doesn’t matter earlier. It does matter. If you don’t respect what they have to say then I’m not sure what the point of this conversation is at all.

800,000 people are dead.

Trump said 1.5 million Palestinians need to be moved. Before October 7th, 2.3 million people lived there. This is being discussed in both the news and on commentary podcasts. Trump is indirectly identifying how many people have been killed in this genocide.

Screaming at your allies *over brands of genociders isn’t a good way to avoid wedges.

Which they were doing before.

It’s bad for you and me now. It’s been bad for the rest since before now. Enjoy your wedge.

I’m not going to hazard a guess on your background and relations but I can say of the 50+ Gazans I follow on the ground… some are dead now. But their friends who survived them and the rest who are miraculously still alive said they didn’t see much of a difference between Biden saying they’re rapists and Trump saying they’re rapists. That’s the Pals I follow. Then there’s the peace orgs I follow - JVP, CAIR, PSL… none of them had much to say about Biden or Trump. They were all about to marked as terrorist orgs under the last administration, anyway. Then there’s the black and brown people I interact with online and in my friend groups. A lot of us agree, myself included, that non-voters shouldn’t have been non-voters and voted Harris but even then most of them tell me it doesn’t really matter to them because this is how it’s always been for them. Who am I to criticize? I’m not in their shoes. At the end of the day yelling at people who didn’t want 800,000 people dead is a wedge argument. The dictatorship is here now. Do we want to yell at white women for wearing bracelets telling black people “they’re safe”? Or can we finally just work together. The reason we’re here is because we truly enjoy these sour lemon flavored wedges.