Red or Black: A Comparative Study of Xiaohongshu and Douyin

This work examines the factors contributing to the differential popularity of Douyin and Xiaohongshu, two leading Chinese social media platforms. By comparing the number of active user downloads,And shows that Xiaohongshu mainly targets female users, with its content primarily focusing on beauty and travel guides. In contrast, Douyin presents a wide range of entertainment-oriented content, appealing to users of all age groups.Under such differences, user stickiness and market strategies are the key reasons why Douyin is more popular than Xiaohongshu. Douyin, relying on its algorithm, pushes content that interests users of different age groups, such as funny jokes and hand gesture dances, which is addictive. In contrast, users come to Xiaohongshu with clear purposes, such as beauty product reviews and travel guides. They leave after using it, with shorter stay times. In addition to these, Douyin has also launched a feature that allows users to "xiaohuoren" together with their friends and family. This feature not only brings relatives and friends who are in different places closer to oneself, but also helps to strengthen the bond between them by sharing videos and other means. As a result, users spend more time on Douyin, which is why Douyin is more popular than Xiaohongshu.