A better use of time for someone wanting to be a good citizen would be reading major books and papers in political philosophy, political science, international relations, public policy, economics, statistics, media studies, history, et c. Not the news.

It already is this way, and has been this way for centuries. Be it religion, ethnic identity, economic class, geographic loyalty, or political ideologies. The average voter is not an independent minded participant.

Political parties. Community Organizations. The Political Machines of the Gilded Age and the Unions of the late industrial.

Human nature never changes. Democracy just gives us a chance to have a say in how society harnesses that nature, rather than a small group of people born into power because their ancestors were part of the inner circle of victors in the war that established their nation.

Edit: I’m big believer in democracy and republics, but a really cynical take on the whole system is “the peasants get a chance to choose who which aristocrat rules them…and occasional elevate one of their own.”

Now we have a glut of information, but the problem is the same - there are so many topics, it's hard to prioritize and determine what is necessary or important.

Look at our government. We have committees, and experts brought to those committees to help them draft law. Instead of trying to be an expert in everything, we should focus on what we want to be experts in, moving forward in these areas and trusting those working in other areas to do what's best. There is no other realistic path.

I'm not super well-versed in non-US politics, so I wonder if there is any democracy where parties actually work in that ideal way?