Is the "true self" knowable and communicable?

Summary
The hypothesis is that close relationships are more likely to form online between people who reveal their "true self" to others, and these online relationships are more likely to result in face-to-face relationships. After performing three studies, the authors claim that 1) meaningful relationships form online; 2) these relationships are stable over time, and; 3) people like one another more when they meet face-to-face after starting their relationship online. They posit that gating feaetures (barriers to relationship formation such as ugliness, shyness, etc.) that are absent online help explain why online relations hit it off so well when they meet face-to-face.

Critique
Jesse pointed out some concerns he had about the statistics used in this study, so I won't go there. He also has a lot more insight into the experimental design, and there appear to be several serious concerns there, too.

I'm not as qualified to address those things, but I was generally just troubled by the premise of the study. Key to their analysis is how they determine what qualities or information defines one's "true self." Unfortunately they don't define those qualities. I'm pretty suspicious of using this label, as it implies that 1) I know what my "true self" is, and 2) I can communicate my "true self" in a CMC environment. Something about that doesn't sit right with me at all. Does the "Real Me" consist only of whatever behaviors and messages I present to the community that give me the best chance of forming a relationship? If I am online actively seeking a meaningful personal relationship, I'll probably tinker with my identity in order to give me the best chance of finding someone. Is that my true self? Or just self-marketing?