I don't think real life is the main issue. Instead, it seems like the same issue PGP has: the benefits never outweighed the bad UX for most people.
heck they maybe already do this in a different/more hierarchical form based on a person’s Youtube graph.
They don't seem to be using that data to improve search results. I've noticed a considerable decline over the years, and Google is now definitely my 2nd or 3rd choice when I'm trying to find something.