How Did China’s Internet Become So Cool?
The popularity of apps like TikTok, RedNote and DeepSeek shows that China has an advantage over America — not only in technology, but also in vibes.
Winning the attention wars.
Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images AsiaPacAmid all the excitement, surprise and anxiety over China’s DeepSeek R1 AI model, I would like to make a broader yet neglected point: To many young Americans, and I say this as an old American, DeepSeek is downright cool. It is not that they are enamored of the Chinese Communist Party, but rather that they see the Chinese internet as hip and intriguing.
How did this happen? First and foremost, because China’s internet actually is cool. Politics aside, Chinese products and services have an increasing flair and originality. I am not an avid TikTok user, but it has a magnetic presence that no US video site can match. According to the company, more than half of all Americans are active Tiktok users.