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  “Persistent–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