In one year, it went from being my “language learning buddy” to an “annoying nagging parent”. When you sign up for Duolingo in 2024-25, here's what you get:
A constant barrage of condescending notifications thinly veiled as “jokes” trying to make you feel sorry for having a life outside of your phone.
Year end review in which Duolingo “judges” you by giving an “are you safe from Duo?” analysis. Basically, if you don't practice, then you are not safe from Duo because it's a monster out to get you.
Make you feel bad for using streak freezes that you BUY from them with REAL MONEY.
BS marketing strategies where they basically threaten their customers in the name of comedy and make them feel scared of a language instead of falling in love with it.
Duolingo is no longer a language learning platform. Its turning into a money grubbing e-learning scheme like most other online education platforms. As a paying customer, I am supremely disappointed in the direction that it's heading.
Edit: Thanks for all the response. A lot of people seem to have taken offence to what they deem my 'overreaction' to duolingo humour. Let me clarify, I am an avid duolingo user and have been for years (since before they released premium version). I am currently on a 500+ day streak as well. What I criticised is not the humour but the way that it's been constantly barraged at the customers. There comes a point where even humour turns into nagging. I see that many of you mentioned simply 'turning off' the notifications. If it has come to this, don't you think the app has a problem?
Think of it this way: they are a company. An ed-tech company. And a company doesn't market an 'unhinged' brand unless it's getting them more money. Clearly, being annoying is working for them because it's turning 'learners' into 'users' of their products. It's a clever way of subconsciously guilt tripping their users into using their platform daily instead of actually learning languages from them. Duolingo wasn't always this way, but it's certainly deteriorating fast.
