ABSTRACT Amidst the geopolitical discourse surrounding potential US restrictions on TikTok, a notable migration of American users to the Chinese social‐commercial platform RedNote has occurred, creating the emergent phenomenon of “TikTok refugees.” This study moves beyond a purely managerial perspective to investigate how native RedNote users respond to this influx, situating their reactions within the distinct platform cultures of RedNote and TikTok. Unlike TikTok's algorithm‐driven focus on viral, short‐form entertainment, RedNote cultivates a community oriented toward authentic lifestyle sharing, amateur reviews, and integrated e‐commerce. We propose that users' moral sense, shaped by cultural and ideological frames, serves as a lens for interpreting this cross‐platform migration. Through three sequential studies, we examine the mechanisms underlying this process. Study 1 establishes that users with higher moral sense exhibit greater willingness to use the platform following the influx, an effect mediated by counterfactual thinking. Study 2 reveals that the level of algorithmic recommendation moderates this relationship, with high algorithmic personalization attenuating the difference in usage intention between high‐ and low‐moral‐sense users. Study 3 demonstrates that content type (AI‐generated vs. human‐generated) further moderates the effect, with AI‐generated content exacerbating negative reactions among high‐moral‐sense users. This research posits that user responses are not merely psychological reactions but outcomes of situated sense‐making within RedNote's unique sociotechnical and geopolitical context. The findings illuminate the complex interplay between individual morality, algorithmic mediation, and platform‐specific cultural norms in an era of fragmented digital ecosystems.
Wu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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