I think you might want to re-read all of this again.

Manipulation is non-consensual and controlling influence, yes. That part is important.

Just like the difference between a house and a jail is essentially if you are being forced to be there against your will or not.

They both are structures people live in and that provide a degree of structure and protection, but one is generally considered okay or even good, and the other is considered pretty bad and terrible. Largely because one you can choose or do things to change, the other you get stuck in against your will and the environment is outside your control.

Most ‘influencers’ also cross pretty strongly into manipulation many times, so using the title is about as accurate as ‘Democratic Peoples Republic of z’.