⭐ Influencer Leader I think it partially came from some commenting platforms that encouraged posters to make good posts to get +1s and upvotes, and after so many they got an "influencer" tag and then next a "leader" tag. But then social media stole the terms and everyone wanted an influencer / social leader tag on every shallow and/or faked virtue signalling posts. Anything for them fake internet points / dopamine hit of being paid attention to.
I feel ya on the whole social media thing. It can be a strange concept. But from what I understand, influencers are just people who have a big following on social media and use it to promote products or their own personal brand. Some are self-employed and others work with influencer agencies. It's important to be cautious when following anyone online, no matter what they call themselves. If you want to learn more about this topic, check enforcesocial.com for some good social media resources and online safety resources.