I would honestly prefer to eliminate human interaction. Or at least, if I had to choose between no human interaction and lots of interaction, I would choose none. Fortunately the internet exists, and thus I can moderate and filter my interaction. That is what I find valuable about the internet – I entered expecting nothing, honestly I was just seeking information when I heard the dial-up tone for the first time. But what I found were people who, while not necessary like me, were talking about things that interested me, things I could never discuss with people in my physical vicinity at school or at home.

But there is a difference, and this is the part that I find to be at odds with the idea of seeking a tribe (in my case). When I speak to people on the internet, I feel more as though I'm speaking to an idea, usually one that is contrary to my own. That's precisely why I like it, I'm not socialising, I'm pursuing an idea to its conclusion as I might a puzzle or a game.

There are other things that are good about the internet, of course. No one's voice is greater or lesser on account of their status or anecdotal evidence. There are just ideas and arguments. Ideas and arguments I am quite capable of thinking up and testing internally, by playing devil's advocate, but I find it less efficient. Same goes for the socialising that is necessary to work, to have a home, etc. I often (at least in my youth) dreamed about living in a lighthouse or some kind of cabin, miles from anyone, but I find a modicum of social interaction to be preferable given that, in exchange, I don't have to go foraging for food or firewood, I can just go to the store and pay for a heating system, respectively.

I guess I really struggle with close relationships. I've had a few in my time, and every time I have brought the relationship to a conclusion because I came to resent that other person's need for interaction at inopportune (for me) times. I could go the entire day and barely acknowledge their existence, and that's not really a healthy relationship when one does that. It's not fair on them, and the moment I start to act and pretend to be something I'm not (an attentive partner who is concerned about the minutiae of my significant other's life) it becomes unfair on me. Resentment is probably the biggest killer of relationships for most people, especially when it's financial or sexual, but in my case it's much simpler: I just want to be alone.

Another thing I like about the internet is that the socialising I've done, and continue to do, is on-demand i.e. I can socialise with people when I have some time to set aside, in a state that is neither tired enough to sleep and yet not energised enough to work productively on something I care about. In the real world, or in a relationship, socialising occurs at times that are not of my choosing, for durations that are not of my choosing (often longer than I'd like) and concerning topics that do not remotely interest me.

This conversation you and I are having right now is relevant to my interests (psychology in general, not narcissistic self-interest) and thus I choose to perpetuate it by replying. If this message draws the conversation to a conclusion, or if your prospective reply leaves nothing further to be said, I can simply move on to the next thing. I don't need to find a new topic to raise with you. I don't have to worry about you. It's simply done.

tl; dr: internet socialising is both rather unsocial (I have no idea who you are, you don't know who I am, and while we could perhaps dox each other, there's no need, and thus only our words on a given topic matter) and transactional, and thus the internet enables me to prevent myself from getting tired due to over-socialising while at the same time pursuing a line of thought to its conclusion more efficiently (or at least with half the effort) than I might do myself.

Edit: there's another factor that brings me to socialise online, and that is that I do love to write. It's not that I enjoy the sound of (or rather, sight of) my own voice, but I take great pleasure in simply writing my thoughts. I've wanted to write books for as long as I can remember, long before I became a developer, but unfortunately my life has never allowed me to go in that direction. One day, I guess.