Final answer:
Direct democracy is impractical in modern societies due to the logistical challenges of having all citizens directly participate in decision-making and the extensive time commitment required to become adequately informed on each issue.
Step-by-step explanation:
Direct democracy is rarely practiced in modern societies because it is not feasible to gather millions of citizens to discuss and vote on every issue. In a direct democracy, individuals are expected to read, become informed, and make decisions about laws and public policies, which requires a significant time investment that most citizens do not have. Additionally, the framers of the United States Constitution favored a representative democracy over a pure direct democracy due to concerns that the public might make impulsive decisions and not all societal interests would be taken into account, thus restricting voters from having legislative or executive powers.
The Progressive Era brought about some reforms that allowed more direct political power for citizens, yet today, most democratic nations practice representative democracy where elected officials make policy choices on behalf of citizens. Economic perspectives on democracy also indicate that there may be a discrepancy between individual self-interests and the public good, influencing the outcomes of a nation's political decisions. From this view, it is clear that while there are benefits to involving citizens in governmental decision-making, the complexities and potential drawbacks of a direct democracy are significant.