Welcome to our Weekly Tech Digest. This edition discusses the potential implications of TikTok’s prospective prohibition across the United States, the migration of “TikTok users” to Chinese platform RedNote, and an interest surge among English speakers in Mandarin via Duolingo.
The forthcoming TikTok ban, validated by the Supreme Court, raises multiple concerns. Without a drastic restructuring of its U.S. operations, the platform is set to “go dark”. As of Sunday, distributing TikTok via app stores and online hosting services will be declared illegal.
In response to the ban, U.S. users are gravitating towards RedNote, China’s short-form video app, consequently soaring to the top of the U.S. App Store’s free app catalog. The app has found favor with creators largely due to its Pinterest-esque layout, social shopping features and its reputation as China’s Instagram counterpart.
Meanwhile, an accelerated adoption of Mandarin learning can be seen among TikTok users adopting RedNote. Duolingo reports an impressive 216% growth rate amongst U.S. users learning Mandarin, particularly since RedNote’s uptake began in earnest.
Mark Cuban is all set to bring forth a TikTok alternative with Bluesky’s AT Protocol, indicative of an open social web’s potential. Furthermore, an independent developer is focusing on a new photo-sharing app for Bluesky, called “Flashes”, to counter the dominating stance of major tech companies on social media.
Handy guides for leaving Meta platforms following its policy amendments, UnitedHealth’s hidden data breach news, the announcement of Nintendo Switch’s successor, Patrick Spence’s exit from Sonos, and the role of AI in digital notifications among others have made the week’s news roundup.
Explore more digital alternatives for your TikTok fix, or learn to convert daily steps into social media time with the inventive iOS app “Steppin”. As we continue to navigate the digital transformations revolving around the TikTok ban, we invite you to stay tuned for updates.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
