Online communities have the ability to create a strong sense of community on a global scale, which is evident in the international participation in the online language learning site, Duolingo.

 

Technological advances, and the evolution of social media, have allowed for people to create and connect with each other like never before. Social media allows for people to be able to ingest information and educate themselves on an infinite range of worldwide topics with the click of a button or a tap on a screen. People have also figured out a way to capitalize off of social media, allowing people to be able to run businesses and become their own brand by reaching their specific target audience.

 

On a personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family, learn new things, develop your interests, and be entertained. People are also able to be informed on breaking news stories and able to filter through various outlets to be educated on fair and accurate news reporting. Social media allows for a vast range of people to be able to share and create content, which is either personal content or content on different topics in which appeal to different niches and audiences. This then allows for online communities to be able to form, where people can come together online, disregarding physical geography, and can share different opinions, ideas and knowledge on specific topics.

 

When looking at the definition of what a community is, it is important to identify the technological changes in today’s day and age, and look at the integral part this plays in our everyday life and our human identity. Hampton, K (2015) discusses community and looks at the definition of community and says that  â€śPersistent–pervasive community represents a period of meta modernity.” He also highlights the idea that “It is a hybrid of preindustrial and urban-industrial community structures that will affect the availability of social capital, the success of collective action, the cost of caring, deliberation around important issues, and how lives are linked over the life course and across generations.”

 

Through looking the free online language learning site, Duolingo, and how the site’s success can be directly attributed to the fact it has created a community for their members, by looking at how Duolingo empowered its members to organise in-person events where language learners meet up and learn from each other in their own communities, and the impact of this, and also how users are able to connect with other people who share the same goals, and feel a sense of ownership and belonging as they contribute their own knowledge to help community growth; these points all support the idea that online communities have the ability to create a strong sense of community on a global scale.

 

The advancement of the internet over recent years has allowed for users to be able to educate themselves on an array of topics at their own pace. Users are able to research essentially any topic, and share thoughts, opinions and ideas with people from all around the globe. The internet allows people to learn new skills, or refine current ones, without having to enrol in an institution of education. Due to globalisation, and humans being able to travel and explore the world, this has created a demand for people wanting to learn different languages to be able to better connect with people across the globe. The internet has made this an easy possibility for anyone willing to put in the time and effort to learn. Duolingo is a popular free online language learning site with over 500 million users worldwide. They offer 98 language courses that teach 39 different languages.

  The company’s mission is to “make education free, fun, and available to all, and “is designed to feel like a game and scientifically proven to be effective, (Duolingo, 2022).” The site can be accessed online or can be downloaded as an app. Ravenscraft, E (2019) researched Duolingo and its features and said  Duolingo “offers a skill tree of lessons that use listening exercises, flashcards, and multiple choice questions to drill you on new words, phrases, and sentences.” Ravenscraft, E (2019) also spoke on how users communicate and said there is a “comment thread where users can discuss a particular question in detail. The service also has community features that let you connect with other people who are learning the same language you are.”

A substantial factor in humans willing to learn new languages is the ability to connect with others. With the busy lives of many people, the option of learning a new language online and at your own pace has become a no brainer. “Now that computers, tablets, and smartphones are everyday-life tools, it is also possible to learn online from a great variety of free websites and software; and with the growth of virtual online communities, the boundaries of isolation traditionally associated with language self-teaching have been pushed back, ( Richards, M. 2016).”

According to the Wenger-Trayners (2015), a community of practice is different from a mere group of friends talking together and can be characterised by three aspects that will allow the growth of the community when developed: the domain, the community, and the practice. In terms of Duolingo, the domain would be the practice of language learning, “the members share the same enthusiasm for languages and are dedicated to this activity on different levels, ( Richards, M. 2016).” The community would be how the users discusses their experiences and knowledge and provide assistance to users who need a bit more help progressing through the site. And finally, the practice is the set of resources the community concretely builds collectively. And in this context, practice is not a synonym of action but “a way of doing things, as grounded in and shared by a community” (Eckert & Wenger, 2005, p. 583).

Richards. M, conducted a survey contacting random Duolingo users on the discussion stream, asking them about the effectivity of the site for learning and connecting with others. The survey concluded that through users requesting information in the discussion boards, problem solving and coordination and synergy, they were able to figure out the best answer possible (in regards to grammar related questions) when collaborating together. Users also looked to more experienced members for learning tools, alongside language learners that have developed tools by themselves and want to share them to benefit other community members. Users also shared their successes within the site and their progress which is “a huge part of the motivation-building process and is the community’s way of growing confidence, (Richard. M 2016).” Users were also found discussing improvements and usability issues within the site in which they were able to give feedback to the web developers and feel a shared sense of importance. In turn a vast majority of users were found planning face-to-face meetups with other members, and video/voice chats with smaller groups, further highlighting the strong sense of community created within the site.

Duolingo is a site in which is incredibly user friendly, regardless of age or nationality. Yu-Kai Chou is a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur, author, speaker, business consultant, and experience designer, who is a gamification pioneer and creator of the Octalyisis framework. When looking at the design of Duolingo and how it encourages users to challenge each other and discuss with one another he says that “Social influence and relatedness is a right brain core drive that bases its success off the common, and sometimes inevitable human desire to connect and compare with one another.” He also states that “when utilised properly, it can serve as one of the strongest and long-lasting motivations for people to become connected and engaged.” This reinforces the idea that through the sites design for users to be able to participate in challenges and connect with one another through the site, it creates a want for people to come together and engage, which in turn creates a strong community online.

 

Larsen-Freeman and Anderson (2011) state” technology contributes to language learning in two important ways – it provides teaching resources such as podcasts, vodcasts, online dictionaries, weblogs, WebBoards etc. as well as enhances learning experiences, that is, increases access to the target language and opportunities for learners to work at their own level and pace, and choose when and where to learn.” This then links back in with the usability of the site. If the site is user friendly, members will feel easily encouraged to use this software, which then provides an ever better opportunity for individuals to be able to come together to share knowledge and ideas. This also encourages “word of mouth,” which is where satisfied users will pass on their recommendations to family members and friends, which further grows this platforms community.

 

The COVID-19 global pandemic has shocked the globe, with many businesses and companies failing at the economic demise of the contagious virus. Although a time of immense hardship for many businesses, companies whom are predominantly online were given the opportunity to flourish, as people are unable to leave the house or now work from home. In person language classes had been put to a halt during these trying times, and many people afraid they will lose their ability to further their knowledge may turn to sites such as Duolingo to continue their learning and skills. Duolingo allows for users to learn at their own pace, without the pressures of face-to-face social interactions, in which COVID-19 instilled a sense of social anxiety in many from the reoccurring lockdowns and isolation.

 

Through these difficult times, millions of users were able to come together and share knowledge, build on skills, offer help, and overall just create this sense of community online on such a global scale. Duolingo is the top language learning app for a reason, it connects users from all around the world from one common want which is understanding. Humans learn languages to better understand each other and to be able to connect on a deeper level. This idea that a website that enables users to learn 98 different languages, and to get help from others whom are on the same path as you are, or from people whom language you aspire to learn, just shows how strong this community is that has evolved from this site. Hampton, K. (2015) makes an important point about community and states that “ The fundamental nature of community is indeed changing as social media melds

with in-person connectivity. Recent technological changes are again reshaping the

structure of community—not withering it.” This goes back to the idea that our world has changed and adapted to be predominately online, and although people may think this takes away from the true meaning of community, it doesn’t at all, the meaning has just changed with the times we are currently living in. The presence of new technologies and social media has redefined pre conceptions of what a community is, and although this idea may be hard from some to ingest, it truly doesn’t take away from its true meaning of sharing knowledge and connecting with one another.

 

 

So through looking at Duolingo, and how the site’s success can be directly attributed to the fact it has created a community for their members, by looking at how Duolingo empowered its members to organise in-person events where language learners meet up and learn from each other in their own communities, and the impact of this, and also how users are able to connect with other people who share the same goals, and feel a sense of ownership and belonging as they contribute their own knowledge to help community growth; these points all support the idea that online communities have the ability to create a strong sense of community on a global scale.

 

Bibliography:

 

Hampton, K. N., & Wellman, B. (2018). Lost and Saved . . . Again: The Moral Panic about the Loss of Community Takes Hold of Social Media. Contemporary Sociology, 47(6), 643–651. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26585966

 

Duolingo. (2022). What is Duolingo? https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us/articles/204829090-What-is-Duolingo-

 

Ravenscraft, E. (2019). 500 days of Duolingo: What you can and can’t learn from a language app. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/smarter-living/500-days-of-duolingo-what-you-can-and-cant-learn-from-a-language-app.html

 

Richards, M. (2016). Building virtual learning communities: a qualitative study of an online community of practice on the language-learning website Duolingo. Faculties of humanities (p1-32). http://jultika.oulu.fi/files/nbnfioulu-201606102493.pdf

Eckert, Penelope & Wenger, E. (2005) What is the role of power in sociolinguistic variation? 9. 582-589. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292036149_What_is_the_role_of_power_in_sociolinguistic_variation

 

Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. https://www.academia.edu/34404076/_Techniques_and_Principles_in_LT_Larsen_Freeman_and_Anderson_Original

 

Bilham, J. (2021). Case study: How Duolingo utilises gamification to increase user interest. https://raw.studio/blog/how-duolingo-utilises-gamification/

 

Tang, KY., Chou, TL. & Tsai, CC. A Content Analysis of Computational Thinking Research: An International Publication Trends and Research Typology. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 29, 9–19 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-019-00442-8

31 thoughts on “Duolingo creating a strong online community

  1. James Andrew says:

    Hi Jess a really great article, informative and thought provoking. I wondered if you were able to contrast the old methods of how communities formed with the methods you have outlined in your article. What could we have learnt from those times or is there little that could be gained from reconnecting with our past.
    Well done

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi James,

      Thanks for your comment 🙂 I feel like now with how far technology and the internet has advanced it has allowed for specific niches and communities to be able to form at a click of a button/swipe on a screen. With the various social media platforms and online chat forums online, it has allowed for people to share skills and knowledge with one another on an extensive range of topics or interests on a global scale. I think because of the ability we now have to form these communities on a global scale, it allows for a vast majority of ideas and knowledge to be shared and brings people together in a new way which is very different to what a traditional community would be considered to be.

      Hope this helps! Thank you

  2. Brendan Cohen says:

    I enjoyed your paper, Jessica. Duolingo is certainly a positive example of the reach and effectiveness of online platforms. And I agree with you, there is clearly a “community” sense and benefit built in that no doubt adds to the attraction. I found myself wondering about the flip-side: the ways that all of this online connection might discourage individuals from seeking out real-world, local friendships, start or join groups, interact in real time and space in a social learning setting. The Covid pandemic has been an extraordinary global experiment in isolation. Anecdotally, I hear many parents and many students express dismay and real hardship because their learning has been pushed into isolated silos. I don’t think I’ve spoken to any uni students or school students/parents who have said the have preferred the online learning. What do you make of this grand experiment in the light of your paper? You might like to check out my paper : https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/ioa/300/me-2-0-the-ability-for-individuals-to-perform-multiple-selves-online-allows-greater-freedom-than-ever-to-explore-their-identity-at-a-cost/ I look forward to your comments.

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Brendan,

      Thanks for your comment 🙂 I think its definitely evident that this online connection might discourage individuals from seeking out “real world” relationships, but it’s also about how much more you can gain from easily accessible chat forums/groups. With the advancement of the internet we are able to connect and share knowledge with people all around the globe, and I believe that they key to knowledge and success is sharing experiences and expanding your horizons beyond where you are situated. Online communities can also allows for planning of real life meetups, real life campaigns, protests, meetings ect, and can actually be a great place for creating relationships in this new day and age. I think we need to more disregard the traditional ideologies we have associated with what a community is and think more forward about how this digital age is benefitting us and giving us important resources to advance.

      Hope this helps! Thank you

  3. Raymond Louey says:

    Hi Jessica,
    Interesting insight into the collaborations behind Duolingo, thanks for the read.
    Turning work or learning into play is an interesting topic and Duolingo seems to be good example of how to do it. What do you think about introducing a competitive aspect into learning and that can change the motivations involved? There is a performative aspect to competition and I worry that their can be pressures to appear at least competent among your peers. If users do compare poorly, I think there is a higher chance of them disengaging with a community.

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Raymond,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I think that is a very interesting concept. I feel like in terms of Duolingo, the website has made it so that you can connect with friends and challenge one another in your skills and knowledge. But I think that the website has established itself in a way where if don’t succeed on certain challenges, you can ask for feedback from people who actually speak that desired language (chat forums on the website) and hence better yourself and your skills. I feel like its a website that encourages users to work harder and refine their skills rather than to give up and feel disheartened.

      Hope this helps!

      – J

      • Raymond Louey says:

        Hi Jessica,
        Thanks for addressing my questions.
        You provide a good counterpoint, a supportive community can be a strong motivational tool to encourage participation and the presence of friends greatly increase the likelihood of that supportive community. I admit I dabbled in Duolingo a few years ago so I’m not overly familiar with the systems in place. Are their any tangible rules or incentives to providing the support you describe? Or does the community largely self moderate and being an education tool attracts the types of people who want encourage a positive environment.

  4. Nadarajan Munisami says:

    Hi Jessica,
    Your article on Duolingo was captivating. I agree with you that it is a great platform where there is effective communication and collaboration, making online learning absorbing and fun. Great work.

    Feel free to check my paper on how social media helped in creating terror and panic below:

    https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/374/social-media-helped-in-creating-terror-and-panic-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-mauritius/

    Thank you.

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Nadarajan,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I agree, I believe its a great interactive way for users to learn a new language and develop friendships on a global scale. I will be sure to read and comment on your article.

      Cheers,

      -J

  5. Harry Wallace says:

    Hello Jessica,
    Awesome paper, you have a lot of good points and I really enjoyed it. I had tried Duolingo more then a few years ago and it seems I had only scraped the service of its capabilities. When you wrote “A substantial factor in humans willing to learn new languages is the ability to connect with others.” It really resonated with me as I have loved learning languages but always thought it was impossible to retain learnings and stay motivated without living in the country that speaks that language. Adding to that, when you spoke about how us humans are naturally competitive it makes a lot of sense and I agree. Overall, this paper makes me want to redownload the application that’s for sure!
    I was curious with the community part of this, for the more introverted users of the application, how much does one have to put themselves out there to become involved in these communities? How does Duolingo able to facilitate a positive experience for all and have you personally been involved in the process?

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Harry,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 It is true I think in any concept of life that our ability to connect with one another is the most important thing above all. It’s a driving factor in many aspects of life, especially learning a new language, and I’m glad you were able to resonate with this and are wanting to redownload the app! In terms of the community question you posed, I think learning a new language via Duolingo is essentially perfect for introverted users of the website. Users don’t have to attend a sit in language class where the teachers points to them and force them to talk in front of the class, Duolingo facilitates online learning at ones own pace. Users can reach out to others and make it an interactive community if they choose to, but if they would like to only engage in self paced learning that is also an option, it’s really upto the user which is what makes the website so great!

      Hope this helps! Thanks again,

      – J

  6. Sining Chen says:

    Hi Jessica,
    I enjoyed your paper, and I often use Duolingo to learn minor languages.I learn from native speakers in different countries through the duolingo community.
    But I have some questions. After all, Duolingo is just an online learning community, how much does it help with language improvement?Will the Duolingo community still have the prosperity of the covid19 era after Covid19 is over?Looking forward to your reply,thank you.

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Sining,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I think how effective the website is in terms of language improvement, it’s all up to the individual user. If a user is very engaged in the website and completes the homework, does all the daily tasks and expands beyond the set activities and reaches out for help to other users, then the chances are that this user will become quite refined in the language they are learning. In terms of prosperity after COVID-19, Duolingo has been around since 2013 and has since been used by hundreds of millions of people, being the top language learning app in the world. I think COVID-19 just aided people’s ability to be able to learn languages from home when in person classes weren’t available, so I don’t think Duolingos success will die out any time soon!

      Hope this helps,

      – J

  7. Taylah Mclean says:

    Hi Jessica,

    Your paper presents a wonderful examination of the way in which learning a new language can empower a community to form through the sharing of knowledge and sense of belonging achieved when working towards a mutual goal.

    Sites like Duolingo have indeed made learning languages accessible for people from all backgrounds. Digital technologies and apps such as Duolingo may focus on providing people with the tools to engage with and build a sense of community in their lives, however another aim is to increase user engagement (Lazzeretti et al., 2015). Do you think that the design of the app, and the gamification of learning languages has shifted the focus more towards the individual scoring points rather than increasing their ability to connect with others? For example, Duolingo encourages users to maintain their score by incentivising the use of the app each day. This shifts the focus to individual advantage as opposed to community engagement. What are your thoughts?

    Regards,

    Taylah

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Taylah,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I think the gamification aspect of Duolingo definitely helps individual users achieve goals/maintain their score, but there are also chat forums within the site that allow for users to communicate to friends or even native speakers of the language they are learning to help them with any difficulties they are having or any mistakes they’ve made. And also challenging friends and other users can create this community aspect as everyone has a common goal and there are resources within the site to share knowledge and help one another improve.

      Hope this helps!

      – J

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Nathan,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 For sure! with the advancement of the internet and social media, this has allowed for a vast range of online platforms where we can share knowledge and ideas on a global scale.

      I will be sure to take a look at your article and leave a comment,

      Regards,

      -J

  8. Hi Jessica,

    Cool paper! I used to use Duolingo and I didn’t realise that users arranged in-person events. I love that this community group was established on the idea of helping each other improve. Have you also considered how gamification contributes towards the Duolingo community? The badges, rewards and points are something that definitely encouraged me to keep engaged with the app. How active do you think the community would be without it? Your paper reiterates Hampton’s (2015) point that social media is reshaping the structure of community. I think Duo Lingo is one of the coolest ways social media does this – through language and learning.

    Would love if you can leave a comment on my paper also! https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/667/dangers-of-social-media-misinformation-the-influence-of-the-anti-vaccination-movement-on-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-and-offline-social-behaviours/

    Cheers,

    Chantal

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hey Chantal,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I think gamification is important in the app because it encourages a competitive nature in its users, and pushes them to get the best score/outcome possible. I think its a great driving factor for personal and overall success of the website. I think without this, the community would still be strong as there’s online forums within the website where users are able to pose questions to native speakers/ help one another with any learning queries they might have, which I think creates a strong community in itself!

      Hope this helped,

      – J

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hey Jordan,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 Duolingo allows for people to be able to create this strong sense of community and can continue their learning in person with friends/or people they’ve met through the app if they choose to! Ill be sure to check out your article and leave a comment.

      Regards,

      -J

  9. Rebecca Haywood says:

    Hi Jessica,

    Firstly great paper!
    As a Duolingo member myself I was very interested to read your views with a focus on the community aspect, as I never interacted with the platform in that way. I always saw it as an individual tool to achieve my goals. However the way you outlined the way the app is set up to encourage users to interact lends into the idea that when you learn with others you can gain a better understanding of what your learning. Your remakes about how far users want to take the community aspect, such as “requesting information in the discussion boards, problem solving and coordination and synergy”, just shows how important community can be when learning new skills. Its made me rethink how I want to interact with the platform.

    Cheers.

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Rebecca,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 The site can be a great place to connects with other users and share skills and knowledge, as essentially everyone is there for the same goal! Would be interesting to hear your experience if you chose to interact with the site in this way!

      Regards,

      -J

  10. Shivam Dhushun Ramalingapillay says:

    Hi Jessica,

    I really enjoyed your paper, I didn’t know much about Duolingo and I learned a lot about it through your piece of work. I had a very broad opinion about it and thought it was only a basic app where you can learn about different languages by yourself without any link to a community, I really liked the feature where you can connect with other people learning the same language and discuss about their experience and difficulties.

    You made a great point about how due to the Covid 19 pandemic, people were able to continue their learning and skills via Duolingo despite being unable to have face to face interaction. It enforced its sense of community.
    However the algorithm of the site worries me, as it feels as if it shapes you in a one directional way. The need to complete each level one by one in order to advance might be considered as a flaw, users are not encouraged to learn what they really want. I feel that in the long term this might discourage people to make real life interactions in events as there might be a gap between the level of of communication, some might be way ahead than others creating miscommunication in the communitiy.

    Feel free to read and comment on my paper below :
    https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/883/social-media-influncers-a-liability-to-society/

    Thank you
    Shivam

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Shivam,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 The gamification aspect is tricky one but I believe that if anything it is an interactive way to get users to better refine their skills. There are also online forums within the site that allows for users to communicate with one another and ask each other/native speakers questions regarding their specific language. I really like this aspect because it allows users to share knowledge and skills and help one another achieve the same goal.

      Regards,

      -J

  11. Debra Lynn says:

    Hi Jessica,
    I enjoyed reading your paper, your comments on how technology has allowed us to connect with like-minded individuals echoed a lot of points raised in my own paper about the benefits of social media and community, and how technology is just a natural progression for maintaining links within our communities.
    Debbie
    https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/618/social-media-has-not-damaged-communities-communities-have-never-been-never-been-perfect-and-are-always-a-work-in-progress/

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Debra,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I will be sure to check out your paper and leave a comment.

      Regards,

      -J

  12. Magdalena Kovaceski says:

    Hi Jessica,

    I found your paper particularly interesting as someone who was a daily user of DuoLingo. In general your note on the idea of technology connecting us really highlight the true benefits of social and digital media platforms. The awesome thing about DuoLingo, it has always been an online interactive learning space, which made it no different to use when the pandemic hit us hard. I think overall it also allows people to connect as a community on a global level. Definitely enjoyed reading your paper, very insightful.

    Magdalena

    • Jessica Gatenby says:

      Hi Magdalena,

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed reading my paper and appreciate the community Duolingo can create.

      Cheers,

      -J

  13. Eleanor Forte says:

    Hi Jessica, this was a really interesting paper! I myself have been wanting to learn Spanish so that I can connect with my friends that speak it. Your discussion about Duolingo being so community based makes me interested in trying the app! I have also seen Duo’s marketing on TikTok create a community on that platform. Their comedy style videos on the platform have pulled a large community. I’d be interested to know if you think that their Tik Tok community translates to the established community on the Duo app? Are they the same community?

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