Xiaohongshu came under “bombardment” yesterday. Yu Hao, the founder and CEO of Zhumi Technology, posted three Weibo posts in succession questioning that the platform has become a public opinion forum and that content proliferation is controlled by algorithms. He also said: "We will not regard Xiaohongshu's customer complaints as a reference. This is a platform with very toxic values ​​and profit model! Xiaohongshu is a very bad platform." He pointed out in the comments section of his last post: “The Xiaohongshu algorithm intentionally recommends evil.”


Text | "BUG" column Zhang Ao

Why did Yu Hao suddenly attack Xiaohongshu? People familiar with the matter revealed that since 2024, there have been tens of thousands of sought-after content on Xiaohongshu. This phenomenon involves malicious rumors, trolls, and other behaviors, and it is difficult to delete them all. Because of this, in August last year, Yu Hao published his first post on Xiaohongshu’s personal account. Then he started "surfing" frequently and responded to rumors about Zhumi in the comment area. "I don't reply very much now. I can't reply anymore." According to the "BUG" column, Yu Hao's personal posting frequency has indeed dropped significantly in the past month, and he is more disseminating exquisite promotional videos.

On social platforms, many users agree with Yu Hao’s remarks and believe that Xiaohongshu’s “algorithmic evil” exists objectively. They said, "The platform should be open and inclusive, but because of the unreasonable algorithm, I feel that my vision is getting narrower and narrower." "In the long run, this will become more and more solid. I feel that I am recognized by everyone, and I am very scared." "It really sucks!"

In this regard, Xiaohongshu did not respond to relevant accusations. At an AI governance communication meeting today, the relevant person in charge of the platform pointed out to the "BUG" column, "After the popularization of AI technology, the cost of counterfeiting is indeed declining. Objectively speaking, there will be more and more fake news generated by AI in the future. This trend currently exists. Rumor management has always been a problem for major platforms. This is the direction we must focus on in AI governance in the future. At present, we have a certain ability to identify hot-spot fake information that attracts more attention."

“It’s a very bad platform”

Recently, Yu Hao retweeted a picture on social platforms to "fire" Xiaohongshu: "I agree with this blogger's statement."

The picture shows that a blogger named "Hawen" said: "Xiaohongshu has a huge problem with the product. The pictures and texts itself are beautiful, but now it has become a public opinion position. The user group is very extreme, the product does not have a forward button, and the content proliferation is completely controlled by the algorithm."

He further said that the black hole in the app’s public opinion field is very hidden, with information spread in one direction and circles extremely solidified, constantly amplifying extreme emotions and one-sided views.

Later, Yu Hao once again issued an article emphasizing that Xiaohongshu is a very bad platform with a very bad social value orientation. "I will not use any feedback about our products from Xiaohongshu as a reference. This is a platform with very toxic values ​​and profit models!"

"Xiaohongshu is a platform that brings out the dark side of human nature. It relies on comparison, exposure, and exaggeration. I think the platform must have values ​​and should not make money by doing evil."

Just 13 minutes later, Yu Hao once again commented that when suing bloggers who spread rumors on Xiaohongshu, they should also sue the platform together. "Everyone is afraid of this platform, which leads to such wanton push of all kinds of unverified false news." After three consecutive posts, he also emphasized in the comment area: "Xiaohongshu's algorithm intentionally recommends evildoers."


In response to Yu Hao's "bold speaking out", some users also echoed in the comment area: "I really feel that there is a serious information cocoon after using it too much, and I cannot receive information from different viewpoints." "I have never thought that this app is good." "This platform has fundamental problems. It is full of showing off, hypocrisy, self-interest and small favors." "The information I want to know is all advertisements, and I can't find what I want."

Some users said that Xiaohongshu “makes my vision narrower and narrower”

As early as August 18 last year, Yu Hao published his first post on Xiaohongshu’s personal account. Then he started "surfing" frequently and responded to rumors about Zhumi in the comment area. He was once called "the most alive CEO."

For example, Zhuimi once implemented a "finger-cutting plan" that was widely watched by the outside world. Yu Hao responded at the time: "It's a rumor. The truth is that when we join the company, we usually control the salary increase not to be too high; we will be promoted and raised immediately after performance, and then it will be stable for a long time. The people around me have lived and died with me for a long time, and have come all the way to now!"


Another example is "When will Zhui Mi make an action camera?" Yu Hao once said: "It's already being done, and you don't understand it at all." Faced with the ridicule of netizens "Are you not full of work?", Yu Hao also said: "Can you arrange something for me?"

As of now, Yu Hao’s Xiaohongshu account has 93,000 followers, has posted a total of 348 notes, and has received 102,000 likes and collections. However, according to the "BUG" column, Yu Hao's posting frequency on Xiaohongshu has dropped significantly in the past month. He is spreading more sophisticated promotional videos and it is almost difficult to see replies to the comment area. This may have something to do with his dissatisfaction with Xiaohongshu.


In fact, regarding the issues of Xiaohongshu’s algorithm and recommendation mechanism, some users on the platform have long complained about being “trapped in an information cocoon”.

Some senior users said that the Xiaohongshu algorithm is really frustrating. They were initially attracted to it in the hope of breaking the limitations of information and making more friends. However, in just a few months, they felt that it was a suffocating information cocoon.


“I clicked on a piece of negative news before, and then the screen was dominated by related content for a while, and other content was almost invisible. I thought I could see more, but it turned out that there was no change.”

“It’s important to understand diverse voices, but it’s really frustrating when these extreme views are so overwhelming that they even obscure other valuable information.”

"The platform should be open and inclusive, but because of the unreasonable algorithm, I feel that my vision is getting narrower and narrower."

"The information cocoon is very powerful. I searched for things that I would never search for before and kept pushing them. In the long run, this will become more and more solid. I feel that I am recognized by everyone, which is very scary."

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The "BUG" column reported to Xiaohongshu's official customer service that "users complained about the unreasonable push algorithm mechanism." It said that after turning on personalized recommendations, the system will identify user preferences and recommend notes, videos, and live broadcasts that better suit needs. Customer service also said that it has understood the algorithm mechanism problems reported by users.

Internet analyst Zhang Shule said: "Essentially, algorithmic recommendation is to accurately deliver information based on user interests, rather than aggregating information from traditional media. Once users pay attention to certain topics for a long time, they will inevitably form an information cocoon experience."

We once vigorously punished people who showed off their wealth, but they still continued to prohibit it.

In addition, Xiaohongshu has also been criticized by users for being full of "wealth-showing culture" and leading to bad values. For example, some accounts show off their wealth by stacking pictures of expensive luxury goods, luxury cars, and other related extravagances; there are also accounts that display huge amounts of banknotes and cash, and show off luxury cars, luxury watches, etc. to show off their wealth.


At the same time, there are also accounts that post exaggerated incomes, show off their earning power that is far beyond ordinary people, and create value-oriented content that shows off wealth. To this end, Xiaohongshu has issued 8 announcements on cracking down on showing off wealth and banned many users. But the ban continued until the end of last year.


For example, some bloggers still use "Ferrari" and "workplace" as keywords to create their characters. In the five posts it published, Ferrari sports cars appeared one after another, and there was also a text saying that it was researching how to make more money, which was suspected to be intended to cause anxiety among users. For another example, there are bloggers who frequently publish videos of "driving a Porsche". The cover of the video shows him holding a steering wheel, with the text "Life is a wilderness", "28 years old is a rich and free 18 years old", "Economic freedom makes life more free", etc. Some users commented that they "don't understand what it means to show off".


Some insiders believe that from Yu Hao's "three consecutive episodes of anger" to users questioning the information cocoon, and then to the repeated prohibitions on flaunting wealth, Xiaohongshu as a platform urgently needs to guide more positive values, rather than turning the platform into a fermentation ground for public opinion. "Most users are accustomed to algorithm recommendations and have little voice for the platform to provide choices. This online controversy, regardless of corporate interests, may be an opportunity to urge the platform to go online as soon as possible and provide users with a 'button' to choose."