The internet seems to be designed for "loners", or at least provides a bit of a connection to other things when we want them.
It really isn't about not liking people, its that in large doses they become too much - we tend to have a lot of things going on in our heads, and when other ideas and idle chatter collide we tend to get annoyed.
I personally do both, submerge into the flow of a crowded place, hang with some friends, but always have my own personal sanctuary to go back to.
I think its best this way. I don't understand people who always have to be super-exuberant about everything - like they were auditioning for a part on television or film.
The kind of people, that when left with a silence - can't close their mouths long enough to enjoy it.
How sad that must be, to never enjoy the calm of just "being".
Thank god for internet, or who ever created it, I should probably know this... google
For me it is about the not liking people too, I'm very picky about my company, at least in long term. I might have fun for a while but I don't want to keep in touch with the majority.
I try to make sure I have a hide hole where ever I go, so that I can escape to it if I'm not feeling too social.
I know a lot of people get anxious when it's silent in the room and there is another person around. There are awkward silences, and then there is just the normal comfortable silence that comes naturally. It's fun when you notice the other person fidgeting in the silence and you yourself feel very calm, inside your own head and thoughts.