I'm bad with people, astoundingly worse online. In real life, I can ask questions about the person and fake that I have a personality. In reality, I have none.

Every moment I talk to a person, I fear that I'm a bother and that they're too polite to say otherwise.

Lol same.

Except it's easier faking a personality online for me.

Glad I'm not alone. It used to be easier online for me, too. But, something changed, and I just got better at faking it in real life.

How do you deal with it? The feeling that you could be bothering the people you talk to?

By not talking to people.

If I absolutely have to, e.g. work, I preface it with things like "If you have a minute" and "May I bother you for a bit?" which allows them to tell me to come back later if I'm really intruding onto something.

I always just thought phrases like those were common politeness.

And is there that always sinking feeling when they say, "You're not a bother." And you just think, "You are being polite to save face."

Well that's on them, isn't it? If they don't have the balls to tell you that you're a bother, they deserve to be stuck with you for a while.

I personally have completely abandoned my personal life and focused on work. It has been working out great for many years until now... That's why I'm here.