Cui Di, an associate professor at Fudan University's School of Journalism, said that the “refugee“ label reflects TikTok users' dissatisfaction with the current political irrationality in the US.

　　TikTok's global headquarters are inLos Angeles and Singapore, and its physical servers are owned by Oracle, a US company based in Texas. But the US remains prepared to ban it or force it to be sold, citing so-called national security concerns.

　　“TikTok has become an integral part of infrastructure, deeply influencing social culture. Many users rely on it for their livelihood, and their strong attachment to the platform leads them to consider themselves 'refugees' displaced from their home,“ Cui said.

　　Xiang Debao, a professor of international communication at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that this collective online movement serves as a protest against US policies, using satire to challenge US hegemony under the guise of “national security“.

　　Zheng Chuang, a research fellow at Shanghai International Studies University, said that the influx of US TikTok users also reflects a deep distrust of the US government and US tech companies.

　　“The TikTok ban or forced acquisition reflects a regressive cultural mindset,“ he said. “Even if TikTok disappears, more apps from China and elsewhere will rise in the global spotlight.“

　　Technological nationalism is self-deception, he added.

　　Many of the new US influencers are breaking the language barrier by sharing pictures of their pet cats and dogs, and it seems that animals are proving to be the key to opening the door of communication. Some Chinese Xiaohongshu users have jokingly quipped that the app's new US users who wish to “stay here“ must pay a “pet tax“.