In the early days of the Internet, the idea that it represented an entirely new and separate field distinct from the real world was seized upon by both supporters and critics of the new technology.Supporters liked the idea that the virtual   world was a placeless datasphere, liberated from constraints and restrictions of the real world, and an opportunity for a fresh start.For instance, John Perry Barlow, an internet activist, issued the "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" in February 1996.He thundered, "Governments of the industrial world, I come from cyberspace, the new home of mind.Cyberspace does not lie within your borders.We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth. Where Mr.Barlow found the separation between the real and virtual worlds exciting, however, critics regarded it as a cause for concern.They worried that people were spending too much time online, communicating with people they had never even met in person in chat rooms, virtual game worlds and, more recently, on social - networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.A study carried out by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society in 2000, for example, found that heavy internet users spent less time talking to friends and family, and warned that the Internet could be "the ultimate isolating( ) technology". Both groups were wrong, of course.The Internet has not turned out to be a thing apart.Unpleasant aspects of the real world, such as taxes, crime and cheating are now characteristics of the virtual world, too.C'amers who make real money selling swords, gold and other things in virtual game worlds may now find that the tax man wants to know about it.Designers of virtual objects in Second Life, an online virtual world, are seeking to real -world lawsuits   in order to protect their intellectual property. At the same time, however, some of the most exciting uses of the Internet rely on combining it with the real world.Social networking allows people to stay in touch with their friends online, and plan social activities in the real world.The distinction between online and offline chatters does not matter any more. All these approaches treat the Internet as an extension or an attachment to the physical world, not a separate space.Rather than seeing the real and virtual fields as distinct and conflicting, in short, it makes sense to see them as complementary and connected. From the passage we can conclude that the author   _  .
believes the real and virtual worlds rely on each other argues that real and virtual worlds are not consistent agrees with both supporters and critics of the Internet opposes the combination of the Internet and the physical world