How does the media affect the confidence (or fear) in the market when there is an impending recession?

“the Media” is nothing if it is not a complete, calculating, facile downer. If I had any respect for “the Media” I am sure I would wind up believing that human beings are evil, the earth is about to boil, President Obama is the second Jesus, and all is lost. I would probably wind up taking SRI’s. But, generally, I think “the Media” is nothing but a mouthpiece for everybody who imagines that they are a victim of something. And I refuse to be a victim. So screw them.
But the problem is, many folks do believe in “the Media” and so, yes, it affects people’s confidence.

By pushing people into a sence of false security and by using psychology against us into a mindset of blind spending on frivolous merchandise at “better” prices to drive a credit burdened economy into an even deeper recession.

It is a vicious cycle that has been in motion since the 1920’s in a modern sence and has existed since the beginning of time in others more primitave ways of exchange and manipulation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUYFr-uDQgg

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.

We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.”
That comes from the book, Propaganda by Edward Bernays. he was Sigmund Freud’s nephew. I would highly recommend checking it out. And also the movie Network, from the 70s.

The media has a very large hand in the way most people think about things, period. The middle class has been in a recession for many years now. Any growth that has been made, has been made by the top 1%. Throw in the changes made to the way our government calculates many economic calculations over the past 20 years and we’re living back in 1984 again. That’s Orwell’s 1984, not the year.

@SquirrelEStuff LOL I beat you to it… LOL Great answer, great minds think alike!

The media affect people’s understanding of what it going on. It affects both their knowledge of what is happening as well as their understanding of why it is happening. Media are only one way this information is passed along. If you are asking whether things would be any different without the media, I would say, for the most part, no. The only difference is the speed with which information is passed on.