The podcast opens by discussing the significant increase in users from TikTok to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform. The host expresses mixed feelings, acknowledging both the threat to her own content and the positive exposure of Chinese culture to a wider audience. The concept of 'information cocoons' is introduced to explain how limited exposure to information shapes perceptions of China.
Significant increase of TikTok users on Xiaohongshu
Host's mixed feelings: threatened yet proud
Introduction to the concept of 'information cocoons'