Duolingo Fires Back at Users’ Language Learning Motives, Sparks Hilarious Response

Duolingo users have called on the language learning app to chill after it made a cheeky remark about their motives for using the platform. The app, which recently delivered year-end wrap ups to its users, playfully teased them for learning languages to impress love interests. Comparing it to Spotify Wrapped, which recaps users’ music choices, Duolingo joked on social media that its roundups should highlight users’ gaslighting efforts to convince themselves that becoming fluent in a language would help maintain a relationship. Users swiftly fired back, with many asserting that they were learning languages for personal growth and not just for romantic reasons. The app’s owl mascot, Duo, typically encourages users throughout their language lessons and often sends humorous, vaguely threatening daily notifications. Despite the playful banter, Duolingo has become immensely popular, amassing over 8 million followers on TikTok. Its presence during the pandemic has been characterized by tongue-in-cheek humor and playful callouts for users not using the app enough.