People want to believe they are good at making their own decisions. From what they buy to who they vote for. It's easy to see other people being influenced, but we have difficulty seeing it in ourselves.
We tend to hold a curmudgeonly attitude when it comes to being influenced or manipulated. And yet, everyone wants more influence. We hear a lot of people talking about how to become an influencer, and how to engage with influencers.
It's seems like the Age of the Influencer.