We all know Luigi Mangione made a mark on American society, but “TikTok refugees” flocking to RedNote are learning his celebrity status has gone international.
What is RedNote?
RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, is a popular Chinese social media app that has amassed over 300 million users since its inception in 2013. It features videos as well as images and utilizes an algorithm that’s supposed to suggest content for users based on their interests.
Despite previously failing to gain international appeal, the app exploded in popularity this week as Americans gear up for the possibility of a TikTok ban in the United States.
According to The Washington Post, it’s unclear as of now whether RedNote could be hit with the same ban that might do away with TikTok in the U.S. But for now, Americans are giving it a shot—both as an alternative to TikTok and as a form of protest against the government’s potential ban.
Chinese users on RedNote apparently love Luigi Mangione
As more and more Americans are downloading RedNote, many have noticed something unexpected—the app is filled with posts glorifying Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering health insurance CEO Brian Thompson this past December.
why is xiaohongshu full of pics of luigi mangione, is he big in china? pic.twitter.com/1Nvb9n1pJ8
— f4mi ‼️ (@f4micom) January 14, 2025
Many users report that posts about Mangione are among the first they see as soon as they download the app before the algorithm can even get a read on what they’re interested in. And it doesn’t seem to be a fluke, either, as the posts keep on rolling in.
just downloaded the app and this was the first post I see https://t.co/Bf4RA7cMI4 pic.twitter.com/nQzoSL6cTZ
— rūta ♡ (@R0SYGASHINA) January 13, 2025
Stunned by the amount of Luigi Mangione content I’m seeing in Xiaohongshu
— ettingermentum (@ettingermentum) January 14, 2025
I literally just opened RedNote. No other account is connected to it, and my timeline is full of people thirsting for Luigi pic.twitter.com/qg9JqGatyG
— 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 (@enbylocks) January 14, 2025
Why are RedNote users obsessed with Luigi ‘Lulu’ Mangione?
It wasn’t long ago that it seemed as if Mangione was the only thing anyone on the internet could talk about. Memes flooded every social media network, the news was covering him non-stop. The media was handwringing about the ethics of idolizing an alleged assassin. Everything was Luigi.
So a preoccupation on him isn’t exactly something brand new, but to see it be so prominent on a Chinese app after the frenzy has died down in America was a bit of a twist. Why are they so obsessed with him?
One post on the app posed the inquiry to the broader RedNote user base. The responses they received essentially boiled down to the idea that Mangione is seen as a champion of the people against an oppressive system.
“Because I think that speaking for the people can always touch the hearts of people from all over the world,” one user wrote. “We all face more or less similar situations and experiences, and we all share the same hatred for the unlimited expansion and exploitation of capital.”
“Luigi is such a representative who conforms to the values of the Chinese people. He originally had wealth and status and could enjoy everything with peace of mind, but he still chose to stand on the side of the people,” said another.
Based Chinese. pic.twitter.com/to5VJdPxa7
— Dusko Antic (@TheLucifer_Ra) January 14, 2025
The reasoning isn’t dissimilar from why Americans became obsessed with Mangione prior to the news cycle moving on to the next big thing. That said, RedNote users aren’t immune to one of the other reasons he drew so much attention either—they think he’s hot.
There is a popular post about Luigi Mangione on Xiaohongshu and their main focus is on how handsome they find him (images translated from chinese) pic.twitter.com/vaapzLlLDk
— Sunrok (@Sunrok_) January 14, 2025
Americans finding out RedNote users love Luigi
Discovering how obsessed existing RedNote users are with Mangione definitely wasn’t what Americans downloading the app for the first time expected to find, but it seems to be having a positive impact on people’s impression of the social network.
Luigi being the first thing on my fyp on rednote pic.twitter.com/QoeaTtkOkC
— mariam🤡💜🇸🇩 (@whalienmalik) January 13, 2025
Download the app and the first thing I see is arcane yuri and Luigi Mangione edits. Xiaohongshu is fire https://t.co/Bd6q8VKeu1 pic.twitter.com/ukPKkwborV
— Pacific (@Def_Pacific) January 13, 2025
Yeah so Xiaohongshu rules https://t.co/lGZxPW1B1B pic.twitter.com/Ahu5ZxIRAR
— FACTS AND LOCKE-GIC (@BanderReturn) January 13, 2025
But really though, those RedNote users are not messing around when it comes to Luigi—or “Lulu,” as they have started calling him.
On the Red Note app, Chinese people have given Luigi Mangione the nickname “Lulu.” 🥹 https://t.co/zf3rsVNXoN pic.twitter.com/jDlReXnp8f
— Sharon Adarlo 👽 (@sadarlo1) January 14, 2025
i’m on rednote and these chinese people are so fucking funny, why they all luigi stans and call him LULU 😭😂😂😂
— slut 4 satoru (@_jtamia) January 14, 2025
Will this be enough to make RedNote the new TikTok? There’s so much still up in the air with all of that, but one thing is for sure: Mangione’s ascent to folk hero status is still on the table as long as people are still talking about him, and RedNote users don’t seem keen to quit anytime soon.
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