Perhaps. I wouldn't throw out the theory entirely, but I suspect there's something different actually going on.
If you're at all familiar with the character from Star Trek TNG (etc) called Reginald Barclay, IRL Barclay was shy and a loner. Didn't want to express himself.
Then, on the Holodeck, he came out of his shell and was quite creative, outspoken, and action-oriented. Not shy at all.
Two different personas, although in that instance, the shy non-holodeck version wanted to be more like the other.
For me it's different: I do not prefer to be more like my online persona. I feel that, almost like a sports competitor, there's a clear separation between when it is okay to tackle someone on the political football field, and when you should just shake hands and say "good game" and then have a peaceful and civilized rest of your day.