Weibo, also known as Chinese Twitter, is a platform for information sharing and communication. Weibo enjoys popularity in China and keeps people stay up-to-date.

Weibo can be used as a means to learn Chinese out of classroom, because students living in U.S have little exposure to Chinese after school. Since the contents and posts on Weibo are relatively short (usually less than 150 words) and the language is colloquial, it is easy for Chinese learners to read and understand. Students can acquire authentic language and develop pragmatic competence through viewing the contents and interacting with others. Students can develop autonomy when exploring and engaging with what is of interest to them on Weibo. Also, Weibo provides a good opportunity for students to practice typing Chinese characters when they post or reply to others. It is an essential skill in the era of technology. In addition to learning the language, students have a better understanding of Chinese culture through Weibo. By checking the popular topics and up-to-date information, students build connections with Chinese communities and develop cross-culture communicative competence.

Teachers can also use Weibo to develop media literacy of adolescents in the classroom. Usually, the information posted on Weibo is not presented from an objective perspective. Sometimes the information is not true at all. Adolescents are vulnerable to some misleading information. Thus, it is critical for students to develop the ability to examine information and read between the lines. In class, teachers can bring a piece of information or news shared on Weibo to encourage students to analyze the text and find out the dominant message the author is trying to send. Instead of just being an information receiver, students are trained to be an evaluator.

Teacher can train students to think from multiple perspectives with the use of Weibo. There is an interesting phenomenon on Weibo that people’s comments toward some most replied posts are unanimous. For example, recently there is news on Weibo that in Beijing Badaling Zoo, a woman who got out of her car in a no-walking area because of a quarrel with her husband was attacked by a tiger and got seriously injured on the face. Her mother who also got off trying to save her daughter died under tigers’ attack. In the comments following this news, almost all the users stated that the woman deserved it and the zoo should take no responsibility for her injury and her mother’s death. Teachers can bring such issues into classroom and ask students about their opinions. Teachers can model students how to think from different perspectives. Teachers can lead students to discuss, for example, if you were the woman, how you should make a claim for compensation from the zoo, or if you were the administrator of the zoo how you would respond to the claim. After encouraging students to think from different points of view, teachers can have students express their own opinions on the issue. Since adolescents are going through the cognitive and psychology development, developing the ability to think critically and avoid influence of others’ views is extremely necessary.

Teachers can also teach students to have an open mind through the use of Weibo. Oftentimes, people attack those who have different views on Weibo. Some people hate it when others hold an opposite opinion. In class teachers can teach how to argue appropriately and how to respond when others attack you online. Teachers can present an offensive comment from Weibo and guide students to explore the proper ways to respond to it. Adolescents need to learn to accept opinions, people, cultures and values that are different from them.