What is the best noun to describe people who are influenced by something in both good and bad ways unwillingly?
I think the right word as I heard so many times can be manipulate as you can see in LongMan
manipulate (v) to make someone think and behave exactly as you want them to, by skillfully deceiving or influencing them
Example:
You have the constant feeling you are being manipulated.
[edited] You can see more examples here