Summary
Americans are posting videos about 3D-printed guns on the Chinese video app RedNote, despite the content being illegal in China.
While some users are uncomfortable with the topic, others see it as an opportunity for cultural exchange.
The future of TikTok remains uncertain as the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the ban.
It’s funny how when something’s going offline it’s easy for people to just switch apps even if the barrier to switching is extremely high (like having to learn a new language high). Makes it seem almost like…maybe people are fine with the shitty politics on the garbage sites and it isn’t really about the switching costs after all.
You can’t look at switching costs in a vacuum. The real metric is the Expected Return. When the original app is going to remain open, there is a very high risk that, ultimately, most of the users you care about aren’t going to make the switch. Even if the switching costs are low, the ER is negative because the most likely outcome is that you waste your time trying to migrate to a new platform that doesn’t really take off.
When the original app might stop existing then the calculus switches and even a high cost option is worth it because the odds are much higher that your efforts will pay off.
Thanks, professor!