Oh sure we did. Well at least we had those people, even if we didn’t use the words. What do you think Dr Spock was? Parenting books, with bad, and usually conflicting advice, have been around forever.
It’s funny you mentioned Dr. Spock. He was the first one I thought of who was the biggest “influencer.”
Heck, many of the Ann Landers and “Dear Abby” columns dealt with parenting issues.
Of course, going way back in antiquity, grandparents have been the biggest and most influential “influencers” in history.
I guess what gets me is not the role, but that obnoxious word. People get their five minutes of fame on the Internet and are declared “influencers” like they are God.