It's not superficial, it's a way of helping the new folks gain rank at WA.

Nobody is asking you to like anything, people like liking comments, what's wrong with that? :)

Sorry you're not used to a friendly environment.

I have social anxiety and I am an introvert. Will this be a problem?

You do not have to socialize at all. This online business is perfect for introverts because you can be just behind the scenes the whole time.

If you're not comfortable interacting with your readers on your website, it will hurt your engagement numbers and could perhaps damage your ranking. Google likes to see engagement between site owners and site readers - it helps establish authority and trust. WA is structured to help people get used to those interactions.

You can be as active or inactive within the WA community - totally up to you.

I don't really socialize with others!

I would probably be my wasting money if I'm not interacting.

You don't have to socialize, just do the training and the work then.