Yes, that's precisely the term for it!

It feels like the rise of social media and celebrity culture have given the sophist types more power than ever - certainly they have easy ways now of influencing feeble minds. But they also present a real danger outside of the internet, as we've come to see from the COVID situation. These idiot sophists and their proclivity to "speak from authority" are a big reason why so many were duped into taking the jab.