I don’t see any difference between my online and real life identity, both considered (mostly :P) and need to be polished, but life is polishing us all, therefor it’s better year to year :)
I’ve been there when tried to be someone within the digital world as a child of mid class, and with the goals i had i can say succeeded back there. Those were the ages of MMORPG for me. Luckily i lived up these kind of needs before Facebook gain space, so i could skip that kind of identity split, never felt to shine brighter virtually after the experience of my World of Warcaft High Warlord weapon did not give any benefits IRL :D
It’s allways pays out to be yourself. Eventually!
It is funny over the last few decades by way of gaming, as I think that is another way we can "feel powerful" by living in a fantasy world as a hero, a soldier, a racecar driver etc. We can do what we can't do in the real world, have control.
Social media is an exxtension of that and I think it is also why the superhero genre is ever expanding. Also why, superheroes are becoming more "broken" in some way - more human. Even superman is no longer the picture of the perfect man - he has flaws.
Sometimes it’s not about power or controll, sometime it’s only about the fantasy. Both are far from the reality, and that’s the point. Reality is not always fun, controlling can be for a while, but the fantasy world can be fun forever, or at least funnier then real life.
The broken superheroes are an other story, i don’t see the relation you are. Rather i say the broken superheroes should open the eyes of humanity, the world we created around us even braking the superheroes, well the story allways got a happy ending, but this is the fantasy. IRL you get it only if paid for it… :D