Researching the Internet Experience

I read the appendix in Online about the research of the individual's experience with the internet. One of the introductory points caught my eye: that internet exploration is done by people from all backgrounds. Everyone is interested in just how people respond and use the internet. As one of my professors said today, there isn't a lot of studies on people and the internet-- whether it be about responses, reactions, usability, etc. It's interesting that such a widespread tool isn't over-researched, let alone barely researched. The article goes on to mention the different topics for research, including technological aspects (software, etc., and how we use them) and the social aspects. The last part seems useless for us, because it has to do with the ethics of researching-- isn't that something for marketing or journalism? But, I suppose, there will be some use for it; ethics are in every situation, especially when polling others.