How to make learning addictive?
Here are a few key points from the video:
- Luis von Ahn, co-founder of Duolingo, wanted to provide equal access to education for everyone. He started by teaching languages on mobile phones to make it widely accessible.
- Duolingo uses a freemium model — you can use it for free but see ads, or pay to remove ads. This allows them to get wealthy people in developed countries to pay for others’ education.
- To make learning engaging on phones, Duolingo uses techniques like streaks, notifications, and a fun mascot that game and social media apps use to hook users. This makes learning addictive.
- Duolingo has shown you can use these addictive techniques for good — millions use the app to learn languages, more than in all US high schools combined.
- Von Ahn hopes these techniques can be applied to teaching other subjects like math on phones. Repetitive drills and games could make learning fun and addictive.
- The key is making education 80–90% as addictive as social media, so people’s intrinsic motivation fills the rest. This can provide free, accessible education worldwide.
