The media environment between the 1970s and today has had a significant impact on institutions and leaders. If the same media environment had existed in the 30s, 40s, or early 1900s, things would have turned out differently. The media has the power to influence people's trust in institutions, thus affecting their credibility and ability to control circumstances. This creates a feedback loop, where people's experience of reality changes reality, and reality, in turn, changes their experience. The media acts as the intermediary force in this process. Changing the media environment can lead to changes in reality. Therefore, it is difficult to determine how things would have worked in the past, as the media has a profound influence on the behavior of institutions and leaders.