Many TikTok users are signing up for RedNote, an actual Chinese social media app. US users consider this a better option than American offerings such as Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. While Chinese developers are focused on building great products, US developers are focused on pushing politics. As a result, the Chinese apps are clearly more desirable for users.
Switching from a short-form video platform to a Instagram clone strikes to me more as contrarian tribalism than actually seeking alternatives to host one's content.