Hi,
that is actually not a thought experiment.
Individual users can't just effect a change they wish on ICANN any more than they can do the same in their countries, states, counties, cities, neighborhoods or apartment buildings, nor in their schools, companies, the networks they build or the trains they run. Scaling requires some aggregation. As you well know, when you want more power for a train you may first gain some by building a bigger locomotive; but at some point you need to stop, and bring in more locomotives. Citizens aggregate in neighborhoos, quarters, boroughs, cities, states, etc., and in firms, parties, clubs, and so on (you know that: you build and test networks and components for scaling, for a living.) The whole basic design of the Internet is an exercise in scaling by aggregation, a very fortunate one. Canetti's book on masses brings out even the most basic forms of aggregation among humans.
There may be room for changing or improvement in the way stakeholders are aggregated (as well as for many other issues) but not by devolving to individuals. Add to that the needs of transparency and accountability **among stakeholders** and the basic needs of assuming everyone is honest but better to "trust and verify" and you just cannot go to the "atoms" alone. Interestingly, things have worked out for 20 years now; as said previously, that assumption has been tested enough by reality and left much to the side.
Alejandro Pisanty