Well... part of the problem is how much effort people are prepared to expend. As computers become purchased as appliances, the percentage of users willing to do research is going to get close to zero.

Most people who have problems with their computer will not seek anyone's help, they'll just not bother using it. Look at how few people ever knew how to program their video recorders.

A certain percentage will ask for help, but most of them won't bother doing any research themselves.

An even smaller percentage will do research before asking for help.

I think the long-term solution for this is some kind of "internet console" for ordinary users, with PCs being aimed mainly at professionals and serious users.

Games consoles allow people to use high end gaming hardware without needing any computing knowledge. There ought to be something like that to allow internet use without any computing knowledge.

Perhaps the upcoming wave of internet-compatible television sets will become "internet consoles"?