Resisting Securitization: Individual Level Factors Contributing to the TikTok Refugee Movement

In 2025, in the wake of an impending ban on TikTok, millions of Americans chose to “migrate” to another Chinese social media app called Rednote. However, this so-called “TikTok refugee movement” demonstrated a larger trend of mass resistance to the US government’s attempts to frame TikTok as a threat to national and individual security, similarly reflected by low public support for a nation-wide ban on TikTok. While many studies may focus on weaknesses of the US elites’ securitizing discourse, the aim of this study is to focus on traits at the level which explain why individuals chose to reject or accept the security framing, and proclivity to using Rednote in the future. The study will be conducted via a qualtrics survey circulated around a University located in north Georgia, and will measure three variables: personal relevance, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and trust in national institutions. Each of the eight hypotheses in this study have the potential to shed light on the importance of individual differences in security framing receptivity, with implications for policy making, securitization theory, or public affairs.