people vs following

people and following both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
people	Yes	No	Yes	No
following	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, following is a hyponym of people; that is, following is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than people:

Other hyponyms of people include laity, temporalty, audience, followers.

people (noun)	following (noun)
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively	the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
the body of citizens of a state or country	a group of followers or enthusiasts
members of a family line
the common people generally

people (adjective)	following (adjective)
	going or proceeding or coming after in the same direction
	in the desired direction
	about to be mentioned or specified
	immediately following in time or order

people (verb)	following (verb)
fill with people
furnish with people