My longest streak on Duolingo ends here. Find out why I've decided to sever ties with the language-learning app, and why it's for the best.
Believe it or not, I'm okay with learning another language. That was how I had discovered Duolingo, because I wanted to learn a different language.
However, its in-your-face gamification - the weekly challenges, and trying to raise your XPs (or points earned from completing lessons) - has become repetitive. It's an addiction that keeps you trying to outshine other users. It becomes a game of who can earn the most points in learning a language, rather than its initial purpose of helping people learn a language.
My Experience
Using this app, I was dabbling in a few different languages, including:
- Spanish
- Dutch
- Hebrew
- Korean
- Latin
However, I found myself spending more time with the Dutch language (You'll notice that part of my name "vrouw" means "woman" in Dutch).
Unfortunately, my experience eventually went downhill when I saw that the constant need to rank high in the so-called "Leagues" each week was growing on me. I didn't like it. It was tiresome, repetitive, and not wholesome in the least. Rather than growing in my learning, I was addicted to the gamification that the app had to offer. That's not why I had come to the app in the first place. I wanted to learn a different language.
Calling It Quits
So, one day, after hitting Day 1,142 on the app, I decided that enough was enough. I made the conscious decision to uninstall the app from my Android phone. Upon seeing the "Uninstalling" message on my phone, it felt like a weight was lifted from my chest. That obligation of keeping up with the app daily was gone.
Post-Duolingo
So, what comes next?
Well, there are other ways to learn another language. In fact, there are alternatives to Duolingo like Babbel, which I might check out later. Plus, there are other resources like books, shows, and other types of media. While consistency is key when learning a new language, it's still important to keep in mind why you're learning a new language. You don't want to turn it into a game of who can score more points learning a language. Otherwise, the lessons you'll learn will go in one ear and out the other.
