this is a tricky one and I feel like it differs from person to person. I consider things like that rather annoying myself and unless I know for sure that something may be going on I'm not likely to poke them because of it.
A lot of people online may be the same way. Small talk/chit chat just feels... Very pointless to me and unless I see value in a conversation I don't tend to continue it, though I do at least try to give more than a single word answer.
All that said, I wouldn't say you're internetting wrong. The internet, just like the world around us, is full of different thoughts, habits and opinions. You can even use this very site as an example of that. Though sometimes you have to look for the right kind of people who can fit into your ideology before you feel at home.