Completely unaware of purposeful social networking?

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I've had it explained to me several times, but I doubt I would have picked up on it by myself.

I am similar. I didn't understand why people talked about such pointless and inane things and how they could possibly find them interesting. Then someone on this board told me that when NT people 'chat', what they're talking about often isn't very important to them and what's important is just making the social connection. That was a revelation to me. I still don't fully understand it.

I never learned that skill, I think because my family didn't socialize when I was growing up. My father was very much a loner and my mother tailored herself to him. We were always talking about a specific subject or not talking at all. I later came to understand that it's purpose is kind of like keeping a machine well oiled. I can do it for very short periods with people I come across during the course of the day but once that runs out I'm likely to start feeling anxious and then blurt out something odd.

I first became aware that people network socially... sometime in high school, I think. I can't bring myself to pretend to like people who I dislike.