Naturally Selected

And that mass followship instinct doesn’t just have crowds staring blankly into the sky. As was the case just a couple of weeks ago in the UK, it can cause gridlocked roads and empty petrol stations with the merest rumour of a fuel strike, such is our inclination to inanely follow the actions of one individual like flock of sheep. We are all it seems, equally vulnerable to the phenomenon of followship regardless of background or culture. And with such a deep vulnerability to that innate human survival instinct / weakness, the potential for its exploitation is, as you illustrate, truly alarming.

Maybe it's not the desire to follow, but just desire not to be responsible. Responsibility creates stress and human is wired supposedly to go the easy way. So, could it be that this behavior is just to put the leadership position on someone else and be free to just follow orders thus taking away the responsibility to be responsible.