you failed to address the main point. Google is filled with duplicate content, aggregation sites, and content farms with shit content that has the right statistical profile.
this is not the same problem as different people perceiving results differently.
Sure, but it can also have to do with different people perceiving inputs differently. While I lament the content duplicators with a passion, I deal with it myself with longer search queries. Grouping and requiring, excluding particular domains (like efreedom), and so on. I know we all probably do this to some extent, but I've found that, sure, you have to exclude 10 different domains, but it does winnow down the results in a useful search. I'd rather be able to search with three words, but for now those days are over.
"Unfortunately, it isn’t just appliance reviews that are the problem. Almost any popular search term will take you into seedy neighborhoods." Quantification? Detailed examples? Link to his research? All missing in the original article.
this is not the same problem as different people perceiving results differently.