How to Make Learning as Addictive as Social Media | Duolingo's Luis Von Ahn | TED

Luis von Ahn discusses the origins and philosophy behind Duolingo, a language learning app. He explains his motivation to provide equal access to education, particularly in foreign languages, and why he chose this subject over math or computer science. He highlights the freemium model of Duolingo, which allows the rich to subsidize education for the poor, and the challenge of competing with addictive smartphone apps. Von Ahn details the psychological techniques, such as streaks and notifications, used to engage users and make learning feel rewarding, emphasizing that even if educational apps are not as engaging as social media, the inherent value of learning provides additional motivation. He concludes with a call for applying these techniques to other subjects to make education accessible to everyone via mobile phones.