Duolingo

• In this series, our academics dive into fan cultures: how they developed, how they operate, and how they shape the world today.
• Here is a brief history of how fan cultures shaped – and were shaped by – the internet.

Early adopters

• As early as the 1970s, fans were participating in digital spaces.
• In the 1990s, science-fiction fans established online repositories, using Usenet groups for fannish discussion and fan-fiction distribution.
• The public nature of Twitter (now X) allowed fans to come together in large groups to start trends and campaign.

The public and the private

• Fans move between private and public spaces online, negotiating different identities.
• On platforms like Tumblr and LiveJournal, fans often choose a pseudonym, whereas Facebook enforces a real-name policy.
• Private spaces allow for personal conversations, while fans embrace public channels for sharing fan works and campaigning, for example, for voting or fundraising.

Fan migrations

• Tumblr became the place for “"fuckyeah” fansites, sharing fan works and communicating via GIFs.
• While the launch of Meta’s Threads provided a possible replacement for stan participation, some fans were hesitant to migrate across.
• On Twitter/X, fans expressed they were weary of the new platform, because they did not want their fan activities to be connected to their “real life”.

Transformations

Fans are known for their creative productivity, transforming and remixing their favourite cultural objects in fan-art, fan-fiction, videos, zines and music remixes. Technological advancements made creative production easier to master, and the public and networked nature of platforms has allowed fan works to be circulated to a much wider audience. Audio from fan-edits often become trending TikTok sounds.

How fans shape brands

• Some brands have started to act like fans online, learning from fans’ behaviours to form an affiliation with these engaged audiences.
• On TikTok, brands are participating in fan-based trends, tapping into community-specific knowledge and jokes.
• Brands are also adopting fan language and tone in their captions and comments.
• In my ongoing PhD research, I’ve found fans are working as social media managers for brands, leveraging their expertise to connect with fan audiences.

Kate Pattison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• It plays a central role in facilitating effective communication by allowing people to express their thoughts, share essential information and establish connections with one another.
• In the workplace, linguistic diversity can be beneficial for organizations by improving customer service and increasing its geographical reach.

Language in the workplace

• In the workplace, people communicate using both standard languages (like English or French) and hybrid languages (such as jargon or slang).
• Both types of language can lead to misunderstanding.
• While some people at work may intentionally use standard or hybrid language to hide information (e.g., lying) or exclude others (e.g., discrimination), our focus is on language-related misunderstanding.

• The majority of survey participants (88 per cent) said they used corporate jargon in the workplace about six times per day on average.
• Similarly, a Duolingo and LinkedIn survey of employees in eight countries found that 40 per cent of respondents experienced language-related misunderstanding because of workplace jargon.

Misunderstanding is widespread

• We identified three distinct pathways through which language-related misunderstanding can influence employees’ work outcomes.
• The first is relational, highlighting interpersonal conflicts and tensions that are associated with language-related misunderstanding.

Managing language dynamics at work

• Develop a language management strategy: Organizations should create a strategy that recognizes the importance of both standard and hybrid language skills for organizational performance.
• This could involve providing translation resources, such as translation software, to enhance effective communication and minimize misunderstanding.

• Lead efforts to bridge language gaps: Leaders play a crucial role in improving communication within their teams.
• They can promote situational awareness by encouraging employees to consider the language capabilities of their colleagues and ensuring team members use language that everyone understands.
• Organizations can support these behaviours by offering training programs geared towards developing employees’ interpersonal and language competencies.
• Managing language dynamics in the workplace requires a careful, thoughtful approach.

John Fiset receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Devasheesh Bhave receives funding from the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) Academic Research Fund (AcRF).

• To celebrate, Duolingo’s delightful characters are joining the game as playable multilingual bots.
• Beginning today, Chess.com players will see familiar faces as their automated opponents: the Duolingo World characters.
• But Duo won’t make it easy… and when players interact with Duo during the game, his aggressive personality might also come out to play.
• Additionally, Duolingo learners can join a chess-themed November monthly challenge and earn a one-month Diamond Membership on Chess.com.

• PITTSBURGH, Oct. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Duolingo, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUOL), the world's leading mobile learning platform, will announce its results for the third quarter ending September 30, 2023, following the close of the U.S. market on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
• The Company will host a video webcast at 5:30 p.m.
• The live video webcast will be accessible to the public through Duolingo’s Investors Relations website at https://investors.duolingo.com .
• A replay of the event will be available two hours after the live event and archived for one year.