Duolingo went dark after removing all content from its social media accounts following online backlash around its new A.I. policy. A brand new video was then posted on the brand’s TikTok, with a very strange message.
Now, before we get into it, stunt or not stunt?
Also Read | White Castle Just Rolled Back Into Culture. Literally.
Normally we’d say stunt. When a brand goes dark on social it usually is a sign that something new is coming. And with a brand who is willing to kill and resuscitate its mascot, I would not be surprised id this was yet another stunt. But… there is always a but… the backlash has been real following the announcement of its AI-first policy, the negative feedback had been flooding the brand’s social in recent days.
Duolingo cultivated an enormous following with quirky posts, more often setting trends rather than following them. Even now, after going dark, the brand counts 6.7 million followers on its TikTok, and 4.1 million followers on Instagram.
And then today, things took a turn. A new video appeared on both Instagram and TikTok, titled “Exposing Duolingo.” The video was allegedly created by a representative of Duolingo’s social team. The caption reads: “Duolingo was never funny. We were.”
Just hours after it was posted, the video has over 340K views on TikTok and 43K on Instagram.
The problem is, no one is sure about what this video means.
And the one statement that was released by a Duolingo spokesperson, after the account went dark, did not shade much light on the situation (pun intended):
“Let’s just say we’re experimenting with silence. Sometimes, the best way to make noise is to disappear first.”
Watch the video and tell me, is this yet another stunt? And if it is, would it be the “one too many”?
@duolingo DUOLINGO WAS NEVER FUNNY. WE WERE.
