阿诺德·贝特朗：TikTok用户越过“铁幕”，全球数字权力的格局变了

【文/阿诺德·贝特朗】

美国近期封禁 TikTok 的尝试，或许会被视作近期不断发展的“数字冷战”中最意想不到的事件之一，它引发了一个前所未有的现象：西方用户大规模迁移至中国社交媒体平台，尤其是小红书。这颇具讽刺意味。美国政策制定者试图削弱中国的技术影响力，却在无意间引发了一场反向“柏林墙时刻”：西方用户主动选择跨越数字鸿沟，融入中国的数字世界。

这次迁移完全是自发的，中国平台并未进行任何推广。用户，尤其是那些靠 TikTok 谋生的内容创作者和小企业主，开始寻找能让他们继续保持网络影响力、表达对政府封禁不满的替代平台。事实证明，小红书是理想之选：其中国背景，成为抵制美国政府科技立场的有力表态；而相似的短视频功能，又让它自然地成为内容创作者的新家园。

这些新用户并未在中国的小红书上看到西方媒体常描绘的那种受限的、充满宣传意味的环境，而是发现了一个充满活力、成熟的数字生态系统。在小红书上，“TikTok 难民” 感兴趣的内容，包括对中国日常生活不加修饰的展示，比如去当地超市购物，满满一车新鲜食材的价格仅是西方的零头。这些真实的体验，正自然而然地打破多年来西方精心构建的关于中国的不实叙事。

这一现象的关键之处在于，它凸显了数字时代叙事操控的局限性。几十年来，美国对中国数字空间的信息进行了精心把控，而如今美国用户突然亲身体验，却发现现实与他们一直被灌输的内容截然不同。

图源：中国日报

这或许是中国取得的最大软实力胜利之一，更值得注意的是，这完全是美国政府自身行为导致的结果。TikTok 禁令本身，与美国长期倡导的自由市场竞争和言论自由原则背道而驰。通过立法压力迫使 TikTok 出售，开创了一个令人担忧的先例：在美国市场取得成功，就得附带强制退出条款 —— 要么卖给美国利益方，要么面临立法取缔。这种做法更像是数字殖民主义，而非公平竞争，反常地加速了其试图遏制的中国数字影响力。

将 TikTok 禁令与中国的互联网政策相提并论，反映出西方对两者政策的根本误解。实际上，西方社交媒体平台在中国并非被禁，它们与中国本土公司面临相同要求：遵守中国法律，即可运营。从微软、苹果到特斯拉，众多在美国蓬勃发展的美国科技公司便是例证。TikTok 禁令则截然不同：这是纯粹的歧视性举措，针对一家已表明愿意且有能力遵守美国所有法律的公司，却只因 “中国所有” 这一唯一 “罪名” 而面临绝境。

这种做法不仅违背自由市场原则，还暴露出反民主本质。用户自发迁移至小红书等平台，清楚表明美国民众并不支持政府试图竖起的这道数字铁幕。一旦有选择，他们就会用点击投票，寻找能提供所需联系与真实感的替代平台，而不在乎平台来自哪个国家。

在此背景下，TikTok 抵制强制出售，不只是一种企业策略，更代表着对美国自身曾倡导原则的捍卫：公平竞争、基于实力而非国籍的市场准入，以及企业在全球竞争而不遭政治排挤的权利。其坚定立场成效显著。令人震惊的是，特朗普总统在就职时取消了这项禁令，TikTok 的处境从两党眼中的国家安全威胁，转变为政府过度干预的受害者，而只有特朗普能拯救它。

这一事件很可能成为中美数字关系的转折点。美国试图封禁 TikTok，本意是遏制中国数字影响力，结果却深刻改变了普通美国人对中国技术以及中国本身的认知。这种强硬的数字遏制手段失败表明，在一个互联互通的世界里，试图通过立法维护技术霸权不仅徒劳，还适得其反，往往事与愿违。

这一事件也深刻揭示了全球数字权力格局的变化。长期以来，西方政府一直将自己定位为开放互联网的倡导者，但如今愈发明显的是，这种承诺总是以维持数字霸权为前提。普通美国人对 TikTok 禁令的反应，不仅表明他们日益意识到这种矛盾，愿意寻找美国控制之外的平台，还意味着他们对中国数字生态系统的看法发生了根本转变。

用户不再仅仅将中国的互联网生态视为一道屏障，而是发现它更像是一个不同的数字文明，有着自己成熟的平台和服务，可成为避风港，或者至少是一种选择。随着事件的持续发展，我们目睹的不仅是平台的转变，更是全球数字权力可能的重新调整。尽管国家间的政治紧张局势可能持续存在，但这种用户跨越数字边界的自发流动表明，位于基层的民众正在拒绝人为划分，质疑长期存在的不实叙事。中美数字生态系统之间正在搭建新的桥梁 —— 但方式与西方政策制定者的设想大相径庭。

（编译：王凡非）

原文：

In what may be remembered as one of the most unexpected developments in the evolving digital Cold War, the United States’ recent attempt to ban TikTok has triggered an unprecedented phenomenon: a mass migration of Western users to Chinese social media platforms, particularly Xiaohongshu.

The irony is profound. In their effort to diminish Chinese technological influence, U.S. policymakers have inadvertently initiated what could be termed a “Berlin Wall moment” in reverse - the Great Firewall is beginning to come down, but in the most unexpected way: with Western users choosing to join the Chinese side of the digital divide.

This migration began spontaneously, without any promotional push from Chinese platforms. Users, particularly content creators and small business owners who had built their livelihoods on TikTok, sought alternatives that would allow them to maintain their digital presence as well as express their discontent with their government’s attempt at closing their favorite social media platform. Xiaohongshu proved the perfect venue for this: its Chinese ownership made it a perfect statement against the U.S. government’s tech stance, while its similar short-form video features made it a natural new home for content creators.

Far from finding the restrictive, propagandistic environment often portrayed in Western media, these new users are discovering a vibrant, sophisticated digital ecosystem. Popular content for “TikTok refugees” on Xiaohongshu includes unvarnished glimpses into daily Chinese life, such as shopping trips to local supermarkets where trolleys full of fresh produce cost a fraction of Western prices. These authentic encounters are organically dismantling years of carefully constructed narratives about China.

What’s particularly significant is how this phenomenon demonstrates the limits of narrative manipulation in the digital age. After decades of carefully managed messaging about China’s digital space, American users are suddenly experiencing it firsthand - and finding a reality starkly different from what they’ve been told. This represents perhaps one of the greatest soft power victories China has ever achieved, made all the more remarkable by the fact that it emerged entirely as a consequence of actions by the U.S. government.

The TikTok ban itself represents a striking departure from the principles of free market competition and free speech that the United States has long championed. The attempt to force TikTok’s sale through legislative pressure sets a concerning precedent: that success in the U.S. market comes with a mandatory exit clause - either sell to American interests or face legislative extinction. This approach, more reminiscent of digital colonialism than fair competition, has paradoxically accelerated the very Chinese digital influence it sought to contain.

The frequent comparisons between the TikTok ban and China’s Great Firewall reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of both policies. Despite common misconceptions, Western social media platforms aren’t actually banned in China. Rather, they face the same requirements as domestic companies: comply with Chinese law and they can operate. This is evidenced by the numerous U.S. tech companies thriving in China today - from Microsoft and Apple to Tesla. The TikTok ban stands in stark contrast: it represents pure discrimination, targeting a company that has demonstrated its willingness and ability to comply with every U.S. law, yet still faces extinction for the sole “crime” of being Chinese-owned.

This approach not only contradicts free market principles but also reveals a fundamentally antidemocratic nature. The organic migration of users to platforms like Xiaohongshu demonstrates clearly that the American people do not support this digital iron curtain their government is attempting to erect. When given the choice, they’re voting with their clicks, seeking out alternative platforms that offer the connection and authenticity they desire, regardless of national origin.

In this context, TikTok’s resistance to the forced sale becomes more than just a corporate strategy - it represents a defense of principles that America itself once championed: fair competition, market access based on merit rather than nationality, and the right of companies to compete globally without facing politically-motivated exclusion. Their steadfast stance has proved remarkably effective. In a stunning development, President Trump has now rescinded the ban alongside his inauguration, transforming TikTok’s narrative from that of a bipartisan national security threat into a victim of government overreach that only he could save.

This episode may well mark a turning point in the digital relationship between China and the West. Rather than achieving its intended goal of containing Chinese digital influence, the attempted TikTok ban has instead triggered a profound shift in how ordinary Americans perceive Chinese technology and, by extension, China itself. The failure of this heavy-handed approach to digital containment suggests that in an interconnected world, attempts to maintain technological hegemony through legislative force are not just futile but counterproductive, often achieving precisely the opposite of their intended effects.

This episode also reveals something profound about the changing nature of global digital power dynamics. While Western governments have long positioned themselves as champions of an open internet, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this commitment was always conditional on maintaining digital hegemony. The response of ordinary Americans to the TikTok ban suggests not only a growing awareness of this contradiction and a willingness to seek alternatives beyond U.S.-controlled platforms, but also a fundamental shift in how they view China’s digital ecosystem. Rather than seeing the Great Firewall as simply a barrier, users are discovering it’s more akin to a different digital civilization with its own sophisticated platforms and services which can serve as a refuge or, at the very least, an alternative.

As events continue to unfold, we’re witnessing more than just a platform shift - we’re observing a potential realignment of global digital power. While political tensions between nations may persist, this organic movement of users across digital borders suggests that at the ground level, people are rejecting artificial divisions and questioning long-held narratives. New bridges are forming between Chinese and Western digital ecosystems - but in ways very different from what Western policymakers envisioned.

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