It's also when people are too lazy (or scared) to seek out Truth on their own, yet aggressively wrap themselves in the aura of "Informed" merely by aligning themselves with the [literally] ignorant masses.
I believe the “fear” part takes its toll concerning the number of people who succumb to peer pressure. In today’s world, the back pocket determines one’s knowledge and not what someone actually knows so to be in a coveted position of power, one has only to simply agree with whomever has the larger bank account. Forget what YOU know but remember what HE or SHE thinks they know and your status is assured. Greta now has millions and two Honorary Doctorates so she Must know what she’s talking about.
Remember when it was said that robots would do everything for us so we could contemplate higher-level thoughts? All that modern conveniences have [predictably] done is make many of us stupid and incompetent, unable to think on the most basic level. The other factor is the explosion of the service economy. I've lived it first-hand. You don't have to be able to "do" anything in order to succeed. All you have to do is convince people that you "know" stuff. Or that you put forth the acceptable position. Or that you agree with those who put forth the acceptable position. After all, it's what your employer rewards. It's how you "succeed."