consumer voters

In "The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence," Henry Jenkins asks "What models of democracy will take roots in a culture where the lines between consumption and citizenship are blurring?" (41). A co-national of Alexis de Tocqueville, I am fascinated by this issue. The way I read the 2016 election, it seems that consumers (media consumers, audience members) can forget to put on their citizens' hat when they go to the polls. Media and TV build familiarity. We've been marketed the current president for ages, and now... I read the following sentence in a March 20 article framing what might be a silver-lining  to the president's COVID response as follows: "It seems increasingly possible that, in eight months’ time, voters will appraise Mr Trump on a substantial new issue: his competence to be president."