I think that, while there's a LOT of truth in this claim, that it is made even more relevant because many of the people we need to interact with socially are people that do not bring anything really personal to the table. I'm talking about the numerous people that have worked their way up to mid-level positions of power despite not having any particular background or skills relevant to that position. This is not to say that they may not have general "people" skills that are relevant or even other generic skills such as drive and determination that helped them get there. But when they lack specific technical skills related to their work, I think they tend to emphasize the importance of social interactions beyond all reason by doing things like introducing dress codes (for people that never interact face-to-face with customers) or insisting on "team-building" events. Not to mention all of the gossip and grape vine chatter that becomes so important in their world.You're not alone in that one... normally, people that are highly proficient in technology, are also somewhat lacking in social skills... I'm willing to bet that most of us in this place share that weakness to a bigger or lesser extent.
But us techies tend to interpret these as "normal" social skills and then see ourselves as being even more deficient than we already are.