Do you have Duolingo? Honestly I would be impressed if you've never downloaded the app. Almost every person I know has or had Duolingo, myself included. I’ve been noticing that more recently Duolingo has gotten a lot of popularity on social media for its signature green owl and trendy humor. However, can we consider Duolingo a social media app of its own?
For a little bit of context, Duolingo was founded in 2011 by Professor Louis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. They believed that free education could change the world and they wanted to make it accessible to all. Duolingo offers 44 language courses, including endangered ones like Navajo, Irish and Welsh. More recently they also added math and music courses. Duolingo is known for their mascot, the classic green owl, Duo. But Duolingo doesn’t just have the green owl, they have a whole cast of characters, all with very recognizable personalities and appearances. This definitely makes their platform more interesting than other language learning apps.
Why is duolingo so popular? I think we should start with an obvious but usually overlooked reason, it’s free! Yes, I’m aware that you can subscribe to get more features on Duolingo (I swear I have that Super Duolingo ad memorized), but you don’t have to and that makes it really accessible opposed to their competitors like Babbel where a 6 month subscription is $594! Another reason for Duolingo’s success is their social media presence. During the pandemic Duolingo gained a huge surge in popularity because their marketing team had the bright idea of making videos on TikTok and other social media apps. Their videos combine whatever is trending and their signature green owl. Recently they posted a video on youtube called “Duolingo on Ice” which was a sketch comedy/musical video that made fun of their own brand and Disney on Ice. I think these two things are the main reasons why Duolingo is so popular.
I know that I'm addicted to my streak. Not to brag but I have an over 300 day streak, but that’s nothing compared to my friends that have 800 day streaks. What makes these streaks so addictive? Although I don’t have Snapchat, I know that app has a similar way of doing streaks. At some point the number of days gets so high that you just can’t let it go. It also doesn’t help that there’s a green owl threatening you to do your lesson. Even though it’s a comedic choice some of the notifications that Duolingo sends are quite dark, for example “You missed your Spanish lesson, you know what happens now.”
Back to my original question of whether Duolingo is a social media app, what makes an app considered social media? The definition states that “Social media is interactive technologies that facilitate the creation, sharing and aggregation of content amongst virtual communities and networks.” Basically in a dumbed-down version, a social media app is an app where people can connect and create things online. Now I know there are no Duolingo influencers but you can follow people on Duolingo, there are also features like "friend quests" which are challenges that you complete with your friends and "friend clashes" where you compete in timed challenges against your friends. To me this is a kind of social interaction where you and someone else are connecting online, even if it’s over Spanish lessons. So in my opinion Duolingo isn’t a social media app but rather a social education app.
Overall I would definitely recommend Duolingo if you want to learn a language, especially if it’s one that’s not offered at school. Duolingo mastered being trendy, comedic and engaging. Just don’t forget to do your lessons or Duo will come after you!