According to the EIU democracy index, there are 24 full democracies, which amazingly still includes the UK, but is headed by Norway, and tailed by South Korea. The top four of the top five places are Scandinavian. Canada is 12, and Costa Rica is 17. The EIU report can be found on the web, and I commented at length in this article, https://medium.com/p/a793ce43cd37 and sought to apply it to my home nation, the UK. One of my conclusions is that “first past the post” is a democratic weakness and the US federal legislature and the Presidency utilise this electoral system.

But the above is a technocratic comment. The core of your argument is that American democracy (and I would add, that of several other democracies) is failing and while some of its causes are technical, there are those who seek to ensure it does and they are aided by a purchased media with a bias and a search for validation through balance.