[CodeyWhizzBang]

A car that starts 50% of the time isn't "average". The average new car starts more or less every time. (And if you said 'modal average', I'd say the modal average new car starts every time).

[JackSlateur]

It is not average today because people in the past tried to do better, not average things

[CodeyWhizzBang]

I think that's maybe the point of the article:

"Whereas before, average was expensive in terms of both time and effort, average became cheap."