One of the consequences of missing the mark on predicting the future is not only confusion, but disillusionment.  It's happening with democracy at this moment in time, leaving many feeling more isolated from the political process than ever.An example is what has occurred with the activities of mass media or social media.  Futurists used to say that these new forms of communicating news and information would bring citizens deeper into the political process, leading to a democratic renaissance.  In reality, we have discovered that what has occurred in recent years actually completed the alienation of people from politics and from one another.  Throughout the process, anger levels remain troublingly high.Washington Post columnist David Von Drehle used this troubling reality as the title of his recent column – “Americans Are Addicted to Outrage.”  His opening paragraph on social media's effect on our citizenship put it right out there:“Addiction compels you to chase a high that only makes you feel worse; it reduces you to a lesser version of yourself.  And you can't stop because deep down you don't really want to change.”You don't really want to change.  That is one compelling statement, considering we live in a era of vast change and we often want to help lead it.  And it ultimately leads to our sense of isolation and ineffectiveness.This all brings us back to the “image versus substance” argument so prevalent 30 years ago.  George Orwell's 1984 pictured Big Brother's total monopoly of the media machine and it all ultimately led to systemic slavery.  Like it or not, and often without realizing it, the modern citizen is molded and activated by the subtle ramifications portrayed through todays media – social and, increasingly, traditional.New venues for communication ought to have enriched democracy, and to a certain degree they have.  This was the great hope of the early pioneers of radio and television, and for a number of decades it appeared as though the potential for the technology was being realized.  The media served the democratic experience well enough as an important and controversial mediating voice for citizens, a corrective mechanism that analyzed power and at times checked its abuses.  In a real way, the media empowered its readers and viewers, primarily by providing them with the much-needed information they required to make enlightened decisions.Yet, over time, the media lost its way by gravitating towards a subtle form of elitism, often converging its own views with those of the political and financial establishment.  In the process it increasingly failed in its purpose to democracy and citizens began to scatter.  In response, traditional media began pursuing heat as opposed to light.  In its place came social media, fervent in its belief that it could reconnect people to the important issues of the day.  All of us hoped it would speak adequately on our behalf because it would be us doing the communicating and creating a place for ourselves in the political debate and change politics as a result.Now, over a decade later, we are flummoxed.  Increasingly we discover that friends and associates are attempting to reconnect with themselves and one another by signing off of Facebook, Twitter and the other digital options.  Connecting by disconnecting – that's not how it was supposed to work.  In a frenetic world of loud opinions, people are increasingly craving the quiet voice.  Instead of ranting they seek reflection.  And in the place of endless new information they look for timeless values that have endured for millennia.  Yates, the poet, predicted such a state when he wrote of people who discover, “the visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world is no longer a dream.”  Sadly, citizens have all too frequently been reduced to the role of sullen spectators, perplexed and frequently lost in a vast array of opinions instead of truth.None of this bodes well for democracy, which calls on citizens to struggle for collective progress as opposed to individual causes that remain isolated from broader realities.Where does all this leave us?  To return to David Von Drehle's column, which might be democracy's best hope for the moment:“So we're left to get ourselves sober.  Switch away from the televised outrage orgies that masquerade as news.  Resist the urge to get worked up about stupid stuff that knuckleheads say.  Spend more time among reasonable people doing healthy things.”Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 29 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.