Politics and media has for the last two decades been operated on generating engagement through outrage, and it seems that we have arrived at the peak of what that model was able to do, with a very sharp decline into apathy. More outrage will not convince people to care. Even the financial parts had very limited impact towards political engagement.

A related change on the people's part has been decreased understanding of how to leverage their own political power.

Congress-critters are concerned about losing reelection. (And of being primaried even in safe districts)

Yet the minification of attention spans has confused the average American voter that they're impotent, when really they're just lazy, ignorant, and unwilling to muster real-world action.

When's the last time you saw someone pepper a House district with self-made signs?

There are things every single person can do, but just doesn't. And because of this, media has been able to turn political engagement into profitable passive consumption.