{"id":6854,"date":"2025-01-28T01:55:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T01:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/?p=6854"},"modified":"2025-01-29T01:02:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T01:02:35","slug":"the-secret-sauce-of-chinese-social-media-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/the-secret-sauce-of-chinese-social-media-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret sauce of Chinese social media apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"6854\" class=\"elementor elementor-6854\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;ha_cmc_init_switcher&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3f8dba e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d3f8dba\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21f6fae e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"21f6fae\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25199da elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-mobile__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-ha-post-title happy-addon ha-post-title\" data-id=\"25199da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"ha-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"ha-post-title elementor-size-default\">The secret sauce of Chinese social media apps<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8073c90 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8073c90\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-85a75a4 custom-post-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-ha-post-featured-image happy-addon ha-post-featured-image\" data-id=\"85a75a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"ha-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ChinaApp_Final.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ChinaApp_Final.webp 800w, https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ChinaApp_Final-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/ChinaApp_Final-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-af642fa e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"af642fa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a80802 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5a80802\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-127929c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"127929c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75d0787 elementor-widget elementor-widget-ha-post-info happy-addon ha-post-info\" data-id=\"75d0787\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"ha-post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"ha-inline-items ha-icon-list-items ha-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"ha-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-953cc05 ha-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ha-icon-list-text ha-post-info__item ha-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJanuary 28, 2025\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ea51fb1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ea51fb1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a89b98 blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a89b98\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-subheader has-summary\"><div class=\"post-subheader__summary\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"summary\"><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><ul><li>In China, social commerce is a key driver in the design of apps that surface viral trends, keeping users hooked.<\/li><li>Chinese apps have made social shopping mainstream, in contrast to Western social networks which focus on advertising.<\/li><li>Experts say the logic of the TikTok ban could outlaw many Chinese apps, media outlets, and websites, creating a \u201cGreat Firewall\u201d of the U.S. over time.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f483b7 blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0f483b7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post-subheader has-summary\"><div class=\"post-subheader__summary\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"summary\"><p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">In the days leading up to the January 19 deadline for TikTok, users in the U.S. scrambled to find alternatives. But instead of YouTube, X, or Instagram, the so-called TikTok refugees flocked to Chinese apps such as <\/span><span class=\"explainer-tag\" style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><mark class=\"term\">Xiaohongshu<span class=\"info-icon\">i<\/span><\/mark><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">, and another ByteDance product, Lemon8, which uses a recommendation algorithm similar to that of TikTok.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-container\"><div class=\"post-content\"><p><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6854-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/audio_01.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/audio_01.mp3\">https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/audio_01.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d2a3e7 blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6d2a3e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In trying out Chinese apps as a form of protest \u2014 language barrier be damned \u2014 many of TikTok\u2019s 170 million American users\u00a0discovered\u00a0the same features that had made TikTok so appealing: an infinite scroll of hyper-targeted recommendations, and interactions with friendly strangers. Xiaohongshu, one of China\u2019s\u00a0most popular\u00a0lifestyle social networks, quickly became the most downloaded app on Apple\u2019s U.S. App Store,\u00a0followed\u00a0by Lemon8.<strong><br \/><\/strong><strong><br \/><\/strong>A key driver behind the success of Chinese apps is that they have integrated e-commerce into their platforms, blending entertainment and networking with sales to monetize their famously\u00a0addictive algorithms, according to Chinese social media experts and marketing firms. The platforms also continually surface fresh, engaging content, not only fueling binge-watching but also exposing users to new trends and shopping opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa154d3 blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fa154d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\u201cWestern apps are going to be playing catch-up for a very long time, no matter what happens to TikTok.\u201d<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89ea463 blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"89ea463\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u201cTikTok\u2019s algorithm is so good and so influential that it became a very powerful social media platform that attracted a lot of people,\u201d Mandy Hu, director of the Centre for Consumer Insights and associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told\u00a0<em>Rest of World<\/em>. \u201c[Their e-commerce] business model was a way to cash in on the popularity.\u201d<\/p><p>All of China\u2019s major social platforms have a component of shopping built into them, known in the industry as\u00a0shoppertainment\u00a0or\u00a0social commerce. Xiaohongshu was launched in 2013 as\u00a0a guie\u00a0for Chinese travellers looking for shopping recommendations. The model has delivered: In 2023, TikTok\u2019s Chinese sister app, Douyin,\u00a0said\u00a0its platform sales exceeded 2 trillion yuan ($2 billion). Xiaohongshu doesn\u2019t disclose detailed figures, but the app\u2019s aggressive expansion into social commerce in 2023\u00a0coincided\u00a0with the first year it turned a net profit to the tune of $500 million.<\/p><p>At the same time, social networking is built into the most popular Chinese online shopping platforms, like Taobao, Tmall, and JD.com. They feature livestreamed videos of shopping influencers, and robust chat and photo-sharing functions, blurring the lines between social media and e-commerce.<\/p><p>With algorithms designed to spark impulse buys among wide swathes of users, China has become the global leader in social commerce, with nearly half the respondents in a\u00a02024 McKinsey survey\u00a0reporting they\u2019d recently made purchases directly through social media apps.<\/p><p>Western social networks, on the other hand,\u00a0remain focused on\u00a0advertising revenue, and their algorithms tend to prioritize accounts that users have opted to follow, MaryLeigh Bliss, chief content officer at YPulse, a New York-based research firm that studies consumer trends among young people, told\u00a0<em>Rest of World<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p><p>TikTok\u2019s powerful search function and For You recommendation algorithm\u00a0surfaced videos on anything that was trending, creating a heightened discovery experience, Bliss said. \u201cIt is kind of ironic considering [concerns about Chinese government influence], but truly, it democratized content in a way that no other app had.\u201d<\/p><p>Although TikTok only launched\u00a0TikTok Shop\u00a0in 2023, American users\u2019 social commerce content helped\u00a0boost\u00a0ByteDance\u2019s non-China revenue by 60% last year, despite regulatory pressures. Last year, TikTok said it topped\u00a0$100 million in Black Friday shopping\u00a0revenue in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p><p>Without a ban, TikTok could one day rival Amazon, Ryan Broderick, a tech journalist and\u00a0commentaor, told\u00a0<em>Rest of World<\/em>.<\/p><p>\u201cOverwhelmingly, Chinese social apps are competing with traditional e-commerce platforms,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact that U.S. lawmakers aren\u2019t talking about this signals that Western apps are going to be playing catch-up for a very long time, no matter what happens to TikTok.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-886909f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"886909f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-1935920440-scaled-1.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-6863\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-1935920440-scaled-1.webp 600w, https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-1935920440-scaled-1-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A college student majoring in e-commerce and a TikTok anchor broadcast live online to sell New Year goods in Fuzhou, China, on January 18, 2024.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d00761a blog-text-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d00761a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Western platforms have tried to mimic some of TikTok\u2019s functionality, such as through\u00a0Instagram Reels, but have been criticized for issues that include an alleged\u00a0lack of authenticity, Brett Dashevsky, founder of Creator Economy NYC, a networking group for online creators, told\u00a0<em>Rest of World<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cInstagram feels like a stage where everyone\u2019s watching and judging. But TikTok felt like a casual hangout where you could just be yourself,\u201d Dashevsky said. \u201cOn Instagram, the algorithm amplifies your content to your followers \u2014 friends, family, and everyone you know \u2014 making [posting] feel more like a statement.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cBut on TikTok, the algorithm throws your content into the mix for anyone to see,\u201d he said. \u201cYour content stood on its own, and if it flopped, it just disappeared. No grid, no pressure. Just vibes.\u201d<\/p><p>Many TikTok users have posted videos in recent days bashing Western media platforms. \u201cI love TikTok, it doesn\u2019t typically criticize what [people] look like, where they\u2019re coming from. They want to know what you\u2019re saying. It\u2019s an actual community,\u201d user Jason Finds\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p><p>The prospect of a TikTok ban still looms, as\u00a0lawmakers\u00a0have doubled down. A ban would have far-reaching legal implications for other Chinese platforms, Milton Mueller, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-founder of the Internet Governance Project, told\u00a0<em>Rest of World<\/em>. Lemon8 could be\u00a0subject\u00a0to the same ban because it is owned by ByteDance, and the legislation could cover multiple companies and entities, potentially creating a \u201cGreat Firewall of the United States\u201d over time, he said.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u201cThe logic of this ban is indeed a slippery slope,\u201d said Mueller, adding that it could extend not only to Xiaohongshu but also to any Chinese newspaper or website seen to be influenced by Beijing.<\/p><p>Could Western companies emulate Chinese apps\u2019 approach to shoppertainment? Meta tried, then backed off,\u00a0closing down a shopping function\u00a0for Instagram in early 2023, and said it was focusing on\u00a0AI services. E-commerce platforms like Amazon have not been able to\u00a0successfully integrate\u00a0social content<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>YouTube has explored shopping features in some regions, recently\u00a0tying up\u00a0with an e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia. The companies did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p><p>There are also political factors in play. In China, the government encourages consumer spending through online platforms as it promotes their importance as an\u00a0economic engine, while in the West, social media companies face\u00a0relatively more regulatory scrutiny\u00a0for designing algorithms to be addictive, or showing potentially harmful content.<\/p><p>\u201cI think it\u2019s just a matter of priorities,\u201d Broderick said. \u201cAmerican social platforms were born as extensions of our TV or newspaper industries. Chinese tech platforms seem much more influenced by e-commerce. They\u2019re playing different\u00a0<span class=\"endmark\">games.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Addictive algorithms fuse social networking with shopping and entertainment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cacheinfosys.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}