User Reception of Duo the Owl's Micro-Interactions as Brand Communication in the Duolingo App

Syivana Dwi Nur Fadhillah (UPN "Veteran" Jawa Timur)
Diana Amalia (Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jawa Timur)

International Journal of Social, Economic, and Business
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): September 2026

As digital applications increasingly function as platforms for brand communication, micro-interactions have evolved beyond functional interface elements into a means through which brands communicate with users during their interactions with an application. However, limited research has examined how users interpret these micro-interactions as brand communication. This study aims to analyze users' reception of Duo the Owl's micro-interactions as a form of brand communication in the Duolingo application. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using Stuart Hall's Encoding-Decoding Model as the analytical framework. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with six Duolingo users selected through purposive sampling, supported by direct observation of the application and documentation of Duo's micro-interactions. The findings indicate that users interpret Duo's micro-interactions not only as interface feedback but also as a form of brand communication that encourages the mascot's personification, shapes interpretations of its communication style, and contributes to users' perceptions of the Duolingo brand. Nevertheless, these meanings are not interpreted uniformly. Three informants occupied the dominant-hegemonic position, one occupied the negotiated position by accepting the intended meaning while adapting it according to personal experience, and two occupied the oppositional position by either perceiving Duo merely as part of the application system or interpreting its micro-interactions as a source of learning pressure. These findings demonstrate that the meanings encoded through brand communication are actively decoded by users based on their own experiences and interpretive frameworks. This study contributes to digital brand communication literature by positioning micro-interactions as communicative brand elements rather than merely functional interface features and offers practical insights for designing brand interactions that acknowledge the diversity of user interpretations.