Nobody in OSM is forcing anybody in OSM to “socialize.” Nor have I ever considered something as diverse and even anarchic as “hierarchical,” as what is not inherently hierarchical cannot be made so. What OSM does is foster cooperation, collaboration and “good growth” among the people who share editing in any given area (could be very small like a neighborhood, medium-sized like a decent-sized city, or large-scale like a whole state/province or even small country). This isn’t “socialization,” it is a bit like all the medieval-era workers on a cathedral (stonemasons, carpenters, glaziers…) being aware of what “others around them” are doing so that the “integrated whole” can be as good as, or even better, the very best possible.
You can “work alone” doing this, but you are truly missing out on the best that OSM has to offer: the collaboration of other, like-minded mappers. I have met dazzlingly talented people via OSM, both “in the map” and socially / in-person at events like Mapping Parties, Mappy Hours (monthly chapter videoconferences) and at our national State Of The Map conferences (where sometimes I am asked to be a speaker). These human interactions of other people discovering what they discover (how to map, how to better map in an area we share…) are (in my opinion) “the best part” of the whole project.
OpenStreetMap is an amazing project, it is practically a worldwide movement empowering people to learn more about our environment, communities, infrastructure, architecture and more, while positively contributing with others doing the same.