The Language Learning Myth and the War on Addictive Content

by J.D. Wisgo

Social media, streaming platforms, and mobile apps have become a ubiquitous part of our lives around the globe. These provide opportunities for endless entertainment as well as education on nearly any topic imaginable. As a result, students of foreign languages are likely to try and leverage these technologies for a fun road to fluency. But in reality, when used without careful consideration these tools can be nothing but addictive time-wasters, and offer us little in return.

In “The Language Learning Myth and the War on Addictive Content”, J.D. Wisgo––blogger, translator, and language coach––offers advice on the dangers of addictive content for language learners, and provides hints to help use these tools for good effect. Keeping in mind that sites like YouTube are designed to be addictive and rack up views for advertising dollars, J.D’s pragmatic stance on education helps language learners navigate around the minefield that is addictive content.

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2025

About the author

J.D. Wisgo is the head of Arigatai Books (https://arigataibooks.com), a publisher that focuses on Japanese literature and educational materials for those learning Japanese. He is also the primary translator and editor at that company. J.D. is enamored with Japanese language and culture and has been studying them for over 20 years.

You can see his blog about learning Japanese at https://selftaughtjapanese.com.