RedNote or Lemon8? Influencers debate their next move as TikTok faces ban

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon.

But the app is set to shut down in the U.S. in two days after the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a ban of the app.

“I really thought they were either going to punt it or say, you know what we understand and that was not the case, so I’m a bit shocked by that,” said Heather Savage, also known as Savage Mom Life on TikTok.

The decision left influencers and users looking for alternatives.

Among them are Lemon8 and RedNote, which were two of the top downloaded apps in the last two days.

Lemon8 is also owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.

And RedNote is another Chinese-owned app that’s raising concerns over user privacy and data security.

It’s also more tightly associated with China’s technology.

So a Christian influencer in Nebraska, Evian Akers, worries that his content will be buried.

“Pretty much China and RedNote can do anything they want to your content,” he said. “They can take your voice, they can take whatever personal information that you put on RedNote.”

Akers said influencers should not run to RedNote because it’s an app they may not understand.

Others like Savage, who already has 3 million followers on RedNote, said she’s not concerned.

She said she is already on other platforms, such as Instagram, and it’s just another app she will have to learn.

“You have to learn their algorithm, you have to learn all those things on there,” Savage said. “Everyone has been so welcoming and so nice.”

Akers said even if TikTok is banned, he knows he has other avenues.

“I don’t have any fear with Tiktok leaving or getting banned,” he said. “With my profile, with the content, with the following and the likes that I do have, it is an achievement personally. But it’s not who I am, meaning it’s not something that I idolize.”

For many, the thought of shifting to a new app is daunting, so they’re heading back to platforms like Instagram.

But some users worry about losing the sense of community they have built on TikTok.

“I feel like people should be go able to go hang out and build a community where they want to build a community,” Savage said. “If they’re not hurting anybody, what is the problem?”

Savage said she and millions of other users hope President-elect Donald Trump will uphold his promise to keep the app.