With TikTok’s US future uncertain, RedNote has surged to the number one spot in the Apple App Store’s free app rankings in the country.

What is RedNote?

Launched in 2013 by Charlwin Mao Wenchao and Miranda Qu Fang, RedNote was initially a shopping guide for Chinese tourists. Now, it has grown into a major social media platform and a strong contender in the short-video space.

With over 300 million monthly active users, the app has gained massive traction, particularly among younger users in China, and is currently leveraging its influencer-driven strategy to generate significant profits.

With an interface that resembles Pinterest, RedNote’s success lies in its ability to blend social media with e-commerce, allowing users to discover and purchase products through influencer-generated content. RedNote’s influence is rapidly expanding, with reports indicating it could reach over $1 billion in profits by 2024, potentially leading to an IPO.

RedNote’s rise amid TikTok’s troubles

RedNote’s surge in popularity comes as TikTok faces mounting pressure in the US. Following a bipartisan law passed in April, which requires TikTok to either sell or face a ban by January 19, RedNote is capitalizing on the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future.

The law was introduced due to concerns over privacy and national security, with lawmakers fearing that the Chinese government could exploit TikTok for surveillance and covert influence operations.

Some U.S. users have labelled themselves “TikTok refugees” as they encourage others to download RedNote to send a message to the U.S. government and companies like Meta. This surge in activity has also seen RedNote push past other platforms, such as TikTok’s sister app, Lemon8, in the App Store rankings.

If TikTok’s US arm isn’t sold by the deadline or the ban isn’t lifted, the app will likely be removed from major app stores. In the meantime, social media users are quick to jump in their two cents, some humorously speculating if RedNote could be the new TikTok—tapping into the growing buzz around the app’s rapid rise.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have an extremely congested schedule coming up – and the passer is far from thrilled with the NFL.

The two-time defending champions will embark on a stretch of three games in 11 days beginning this weekend when they face the Browns on Sunday, before hosting the Texans on December 21 and then traveling to the Steelers on Christmas.

And while the Chiefs are sitting pretty atop the AFC with a 12-1 record, Mahomes seems to be dreading his team’s next couple of weeks.

‘It is not a good feeling,’ he told reporters on Wednesday, per ESPN. ‘I’m excited to play on Christmas to hopefully get back from what we did last year [when the Chiefs lost to the Raiders], but you never want to play this many games in this short of time.

‘It’s just not great for your body. But at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.’

Mahomes added, ‘All you can do is focus on the game and the practice that you had that day. I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch by tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and you prepare. The coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice hard as anybody, but they know how to kind of dial it back when we need it.’

In addition to the Chiefs, the Texans, Steelers and Ravens will also be playing three games in the next 11 days.

Crucially, though, the Ravens and Texans are coming right off of a bye in Week 14, while the Steelers had their break in Week 9.

The Chiefs haven’t had a rest since they returned from their Week 6 bye – a fact that defensive star Chris Jones was eager to point out.

‘This is one thing I’m doing this offseason is I’m going to the NFLPA, especially with us having three games in [an 11-day] span, that we’re mandatory to have a late bye week,’ he said.

‘With our schedule, it’s kind of awkward, to say the least. … That’s a conversation to have this offseason. If a team has somewhat of a schedule like that, they should get a late-season bye. We don’t need a Week [6] bye … Give it to us in Week 8, Week 10, something like that.’

Mahomes and Co. will have a week-and-a-half to recover after their Christmas Day game before facing the Broncos in Week 18 on January 5.

And if Kansas City manages to wrap up a first-round playoff bye before Week 18 – as they currently have a two-game AFC lead over the Bills – Mahomes and the team’s other starters could be held out of the final regular season game.

The quarterback then wouldn’t play until January 18 or 19 in the divisional round.

Selena Gomez shocked fans on Wednesday night by revealing she is now engaged to her boyfriend Benny Blanco after a year and a half of dating.

The singer, 32, revealed the news on Instagram, sharing the first photos of her massive diamond engagement ring with her 422million followers.

‘forever begins now..’ captioned the Who Said singer. She also included a photo of herself showing off her ring for the camera as Blanco, 36, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.

Blanco — a famed music producer — seemingly popped the question during a romantic nighttime picnic featuring Taco Bell.

The couple received an outpouring of love from theor A-list celebrity friends, including Cardi B, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gomez’s BFF Taylor Swift.

Swift — who has been friends with Gomez since 2008 — offered to be the couple’s ‘flower girl.’

Blanco himself also left a cheeky comment in which he referred to Gomez as his ‘wife.’

‘hey wait… that’s my wife,’ wrote the musician, who earned nearly 150,000 ‘likes.’

Gomez has been dating Blanco since June 2023, though she did not confirm the relationship until that December. At the time, she used Instagram to confirm to fans that she’d been secretly dating the hitmaker for six months and that he was her ‘absolute everything.’

Previously, the Wolves songstress dated The Weeknd, Zedd, Nick Jonas, Taylor Lautner and was linked to a number of other stars, including Zayn Malik and The Chainsmokers’ Andrew Taggart. She also famously had an on-and-off relationship with Justin Bieber, 30, that spanned eight years, before they called it quits in 2018. He is now married to model Hailey Bieber, 28, and they welcomed a baby son in August.

Before getting romantic, Gomez and Blanco were friends for over a decade and even worked on music together.

He has produced three of the singer’s biggest hits, including the 2021 tune I Can’t Get Enough and 2015’s Same Old Love.

Selena Gomez shows off engagement ring from fiance Benny Blanco. Last month, Blanco revealed that it was Gomez who made the first move.

‘She asked me out. It was crazy, it was crazy. She literally asked me… like we were just talking, and then she said, “You wanna get dinner?” And I went to the dinner, and I had no idea,’ he explained on Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream.