How to Make Learning as Addictive as Social Media

I come from Guatemala, and I want to make it clear that Guatemala is not where they keep prisoners (Guantanamo). Guatemala is located just south of Mexico. For those in the United States, you can think of it as "Mexico's Mexico." Similar to how the U.S. wants to control illegal immigration from Mexico, Mexico seeks to control it from Guatemala, a smaller and economically challenged country. Guatemala is known for its poverty, but it boasts better Mexican cuisine.

Education is often seen as a tool to bridge the gap between different social classes. However, I view it differently, as something that can perpetuate inequality. People with ample resources can afford a high-quality education, leading to continued prosperity. In contrast, those with limited resources may only attain basic literacy and struggle to improve their economic prospects, especially in impoverished nations.

I was fortunate to receive a quality education despite not coming from a wealthy background. My single mother, determined to provide me with opportunities, invested all she had in my education. This enabled me to attend college in the United States and earn a Ph.D. in computer science. About a decade ago, I felt compelled to create a platform that would make education accessible to all, and that's what I want to discuss today—equal access to education.

As a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, I collaborated with my Ph.D. student, Severin, to address this issue. Instead of tackling all of education, we decided to start by teaching one subject. We considered math and computer science but eventually concluded that teaching foreign languages would be the best starting point.

Foreign language learning has a vast audience, with around two billion people worldwide learning a foreign language, predominantly English. English proficiency significantly enhances income potential in many countries, making it a lucrative choice for learners. This sets foreign languages apart from subjects like math, where knowledge alone doesn't directly boost income. We chose to focus on foreign languages.

To reach a broad audience, especially in poorer countries, we realized that a mobile phone, a device already prevalent in many parts of the world, was the ideal platform. Building schools globally was prohibitively expensive, but the mobile phone was a cost-effective solution. Thus, we created an accessible language learning app named Duolingo.

To ensure accessibility for all, rich and poor, Duolingo follows a freemium model. Users can access and learn for free, with ads displayed after lessons. Those who dislike ads can subscribe to remove them, generating the majority of Duolingo's revenue. Paying subscribers tend to be from wealthier countries like the U.S. and Canada, while non-subscribers often hail from poorer nations like Brazil, Vietnam, or my home country, Guatemala. This model contributes to a form of wealth redistribution, where wealthier users indirectly support education for everyone.

However, delivering education via smartphones presents a unique challenge. These devices come loaded with some of the most addictive applications, such as TikTok and Instagram. It's akin to offering broccoli next to the most delectable dessert. To succeed in delivering education, the content must be engaging. Duolingo achieved this by incorporating psychological techniques commonly used by apps like Instagram, TikTok, and mobile games.

One powerful technique is the concept of a streak, a counter that tracks consecutive days of app usage. Users strive to maintain their streak, which encourages daily practice. Duolingo boasts over three million users with streaks exceeding 365 days. Additionally, well-timed notifications play a role in keeping users engaged.

Duolingo's sophisticated AI system sends notifications strategically to maximize user retention. Surprisingly, the best time to send a notification is 24 hours after the user's last app session, based on the simple premise that if they were free yesterday at 3 PM, they might be free again at the same time today. It works.

However, notifications should not become overwhelming, and Duolingo stops sending them after seven days of inactivity. A passive-aggressive notification informs users of this, prompting them to return. These passive-aggressive messages, delivered by Duolingo's green owl mascot, have led to numerous memes, further contributing to user engagement.

Duolingo's success demonstrates that, although educational apps might not be as engaging as social media or mobile games, they can still attract millions of users. When learning something meaningful, individuals derive a sense of purpose, which sets it apart from aimless scrolling on social media.

My vision is to apply the principles that made Duolingo successful to other subjects. While subjects requiring repetition, like languages, can be gamified, those involving complex explanations may require high-quality videos. Regardless, the goal is to deliver accessible, high-quality education to all, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, using mobile phones.

In conclusion, I urge you to do your language lessons today. Thank you. (Applause)