If you think the names Lisa and Lena are your child’s classmates, listen again. Because it may well be that we are actually talking about Germany’s best-known female influencers. The two sisters Lisa and Lena became famous for their videos on the app TikTok — formerly musical.ly — famous. Millions of young people follow them on social networks. But what exactly do teenagers in particular find so great about the twins?
In 2016, the then 15-year-old twins from near Stuttgart became famous virtually overnight thanks to their music videos on musical.ly. In 2019, Lisa and Lena left TikTok and decided to be active only on other social media channels. They justified this move by saying that they wanted to break new ground and had slowly outgrown TikTok. Security concerns and the criticism surrounding TikTok also apparently played a role. However, they have been back on TikTok since May 2020.
On platforms like Instagram and YouTube the twins present themselves in pictures in the perfect light and give insights into their everyday lives in stories. Her fans also call her Leli for short. They now have their own fashion brand and an online store for Leli fan merchandise, which they promote on their Instagram profile.
Lisa and Lena can hardly explain themselves how they became so famous so quickly. Within a very short time, they have attracted a lot of sympathy and attention on the Internet with their 15-second dance videos. Female teenagers in particular see them as role models because they are of a similar age. Some also strive to get validation through likes and followers. Also, the videos are entertaining. They combine music and movement. Expressing themselves in this way and having their own taste is attractive to young people. Lisa and Lena offer orientation and entertainment for adolescents with their videos. In the process, the twins appear authentic to them. Moreover, they have been with us for many years and provide reliable and familiar companions – if not something like friends.
You may feel like you can’t keep up with what your child is saying about the new hot influencer on YouTube or Instagram. You don’t have to understand everything either. Don’t look the other way, though; talk to your child about his or her role models. This is the only way you can stay up to date and be the contact person for your son or daughter if, for example, he or she has unpleasant experiences online. Also talk about the extent to which what is posted on social media is actually authentic. Since influencing is a business model, many are concerned with reaching as many people as possible and making money from it. Advertising and staged content are not uncommon.
If your child has or wants to start a social media channel themselves through role models like Lisa and Lena, you should also talk to them about what they post.
