Well not really speaking for everyone, i do say some just truly have a preference, and some are following the hype. Are all people knowingly following the hype? No. But psychological studies will show that are needs for social acceptance and esteem can affect our buying decisions on a subconscious level.
just my 2 cents
we've all bought something due to hype, and theirs no reason to be embarrassed by it
There's recently been the " I Buy What I LIke" trend which people are trying to fall into ( once again the self-esteem and acceptance desire)
By coining that term, it makes buying different/odd shoes more justifiable to sneakerheads because they can just simply say " I Buy What I Like, I don't follow the hype"
But in reality, people aren't being influenced by hype 24/7
Nor are they influenced by it on every shoe
but everyones had a moment, where hype has driven them to like a shoe more than they previously had
Examples
Air max 1 on Air max 1 day - Before release everyone was screaming ugly, awful, should have not been Volt. Nike says it's limited, now everyones dying for a pair and resell prices shoot through the roof.
That's all i'm saying, hype affects us all, some slightly, some more so... But i think saying your completely immune is a little BS tbh ( just from a psychological standpoint)