Duolingo sees 216% spike in US users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban and move to RedNote

Half the population thought the US government was trying to kill them with a vaccine and a face mask while they coughed themselves to death.

You're absolutely right, people are fucking stupid.

I literally had a friend breaking down over it and I suggested Fediverse alternatives and they looked at me like I had sprouted an extra head.

I even explained that US companies aren't doing anything materially different than Tiktok (propaganda and spying on people), and they're all bad. Still looking at me like I'm some kind of maniac.

Everyone bitches about corporations but so few want to actually stop sucking on their fucking teat.

For most people, the personal consequences of China being able to spy on them are nonexistent. The government that can actually abuse such power against them, e.g. prosecute them for out of state abortions, is the US.

So protesting the US banning an app and trying to force people to use their own spyware social media makes some level of sense.

It's still obviously better to use privacy preserving and/or federated services, but that's not something most people know about or understand.

Maybe they were only in it for the propaganda?

I do love that some of the "refugees" (lol) are just moving to an even more Chinese app though. I don’t think it’s all that many but the propaganda pointing toward propaganda is hilarious.

Honestlyyyyy and yet when I speak about actually ethical alternatives, ppl then be like nah cba, too difficult, too much effort or too complicated when it only takes five mins or less to make an account and yet these same god damn ppl expect you to always listen to them.

We honestly truly live in a society.

People only want to make a difference if it only gives them good social points, not actual change or things that enable for them to actually think critically and change their viewpoints.

Feels pretty hopeless tbh esp as this is only the beginning of 2025 as well but hey at least there’s some logical people on here (though you do get the occasional dumbass on lemmy/mbin)

Not once, not one single time while using the app, have I ever come across the app pushing Chinese propaganda.

I understand a lot of you, who have never even tried to give TikTok a chance mind you, don't fully understand that once YOU curate YOUR algorithm, it becomes 90% only what YOU want to see. Trust me, I used to be one of you. I thought it was the dumbest thing to get on an app to watch people do dumb things, or to dance.

I had a partner at the time who would send me TikToks, and one day they sent me something that really impressed me. It was a very well done explanation of an animal, I can't recall which right now. I was VERY impressed by his explanation of this animal I had never even heard of. So, I made one and followed this person.

I got LOADS of dumb shit thrown my way at first, but I told the algorithm I didn't want to see these videos, and then... I get 90% of videos targeted towards things I like such as: activism, home improvement tips and tricks, tech related (videos about networking, good alternatives to programs that are ran by shitty people, etc.), skits that I find funny, and others who feel the same way I feel about this world and the way it is currently running. I had always felt like I was one of very very few people who care about these things, but TikTok showed me others who felt the same. People sharing their woes, people actually raising valid points like the Hong Kong protests and even getting millions of views. There is so much more out there than I can type out.

So, while I understand your face palm moment with this person, it is quite funny to always see these arguments of "TikTok bad" when you haven't even tried to use it, and are only going off of the dumb people who use it and show/like dumb things. Dumb people post on YouTube, but no one talks about how stupid that is. God forbid an app I've never used do that too!

No hate, as like I said, I was once someone like you. There's dumb shit on every platform, even here. You could've found out that there were plenty of videos that you would enjoy if you had given it a chance.

And to those who automatically get all patriotic about data and shit, the American social medias are not only worse, but use YOUR data in worse ways than a foreign country can. Not once did TikTok ask me for my location, and only the first time upon opening the app did it request permission for the camera and mic, which I denied, and it never asked again. As far as I know, Facebook/Messenger/Snapchat/Instagram CONSTANTLY want you to give them permissions even if you denied them before.

I don't expect anyone here to care, because "TikTok bad", but it is what it is.

Have you actually ever tried using tiktok? Or do you maybe think everybody on there just does silly dances?

Yes actually. And I kind of like rednote. Nothing wrong with learning mandarin.

Political content is entirely banned on the app so your assertion that it pushes political propaganda when it refuses to host anything political at all is kind of reactionary fake news.

Source?

Also.. ok boomer. lol

That’s what happens when you have some of the best user experience people and engineers in the world specifically designing for addiction. Facebook is no different, but their most successful demographic is. My grandma is hopelessly addicted to scrolling FB reels and my fiancé is hopelessly addicted to scrolling IG stories. Different target demographic, same goals

posted on Lemmy, a Reddit clone

Not that I disagree, but let's not throw stoves in brass houses

A point for irony, NGL. ⬆️

Ew but then I have to talk to actual people

/s

It depends on the language tbh. Several languages on duolingo are decent ways to dip your toes in the water for language learning, I've heard good things about the Spanish, German, and Mandarin courses. But it's really dependent on the language, I tried Duolingo's Irish course and it was so bad that I'm still trying to unlearn a good amount of misinformation, really soured language learning for me even though I eventually got a good course elsewhere.

I did both the Spanish and French trees completely, I do think I learned some things along the way, and some of it stuck. Every language learning method is not perfect, you need to immerse with multiple things. I was living in country, doing duolingo, listening to pimsleur, listening to radio in language, going to classes and hanging out with native speakers, and my fluency still is not great. It takes years of being a child before you get anywhere and no system is going to solve it alone

I don’t think CCP would like people being against them in Mandarin

Lemon8 is owned by the same company as TikTok, they're literally trading one Chinese app for another anyways.

If you want to drop that bombshell at the office LMAO

Lemonade is an insurance company, yeah, they moving their car insurance ti Lemonade.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/is-lemon8-a-good-replacement-for-tiktok-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

Except Duolingo regularly releases these numbers. In July 2024 it was reported to be slightly above 9m monthly chinese learners..

So quite significant rise.

Jokes on you I'm using it to be disappointed in myself.

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The owl will have you study "the man has a red scarf" for two years before you get to words like "save" or "add to watchlist".

Afaik it is a chinees instagram / tiktok alternative

You don't know who's behind those keyboards. Stop pretending that you do.