Culture influence help

[wolf14455]

A new thing in Legends is this spheare of influence or Culture influence, what does it do?
Can I gobble up colonies with it?

[HectorOfTroy]

I got few new colonies because they switched over to my empire. I had few large colonies in vicinity (large populations, well developed, high volume trade ports) and two colonies that belonged to another empire switched to mine.

I also think that those two colonies weren't doing very well under AI and population was unhappy.

[wolf14455]

Nice, the game getting better and better eh.

[Bingeling]

You could "always" gobble colonies this way.

The sphere of influence is "yours". You are the only one that can mine, colonize, do whatever there. I with the exception of opponents during war, and other empires you give mining rights to.