No green owls were harmed while writing this article.
On Feb. 11, Duolingo, the language learning app, announced the sudden death of their mascot, a green owl, on their social media accounts. The unexpected tragedy caught everyday users off guard.
Many began grieving the loss of Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo, more commonly known by his nickname Duo. The app asked users to complete a lesson in Duo’s memory in lieu of flowers.
Duolingo operates based on short, simple lessons that help users with speaking, writing and grammar skills. According to Duolingo’s website, the app was created in 2011 and has since become the most popular language-learning app in the world. It has over 500 million registered users and 103 million active users.
The app has been working to keep active users engaged through humorous marketing strategies, such as the death of Duo. Social media posts and in-app notifications encouraged users to complete their daily lesson in order to bring Duo back to life.
Senior Ellie Brown has a 1,148-day streak and has been using Duolingo since freshman year, learning Latin, French and Italian.
“[The death of Duo] is funny and is a smart way to keep [the company] relevant in the media,” wrote Brown.
Lincoln students have noticed and appreciate the green owl’s social media presence. Several agree that it incites them to keep up their streak on the app and complete their daily lesson.
Senior Alissa Kim follows Duolingo on both TikTok and Instagram and finds the content entertaining yet effective.
“When they post these entertaining and funny videos, I remember, like, ‘Oh no, I need to go on [it] and [do my lesson],” said Kim.
Lincoln French teacher Douglas Siegel said the nefarious tactics the app uses work.
“Humor, I think, is always effective, [but] the guilt trip is real, [and] you don’t want to lose [your] streak,” said Siegel.
Siegel is using the app to learn Arabic, and while some phrases he may never use in a real-life situation, Duolingo is a good stepping stone to make progress in basic language skills. He encourages his students to use it to maintain their aptitude in French.
“Even [if] they’re having you say crazy things, you’re at least seeing syntax, you’re seeing gender and number agreement, you’re seeing verb conjugations. I think it’s one tool in the toolbox,” said Siegel.