I'd say it depends on the types of social networking, the author of the article talked about very shallow networking (people you met at a meetup, stack overflow, etc.). That's different than building deeper relationships with co-workers. I've found that the two are not necessarily correlated and people who go for numbers will often sacrifice depth. I've seen this on LinkedIn with juniors who I'd never met that randomly connect with me (often bootcampers) and I can see that they've done the same with hundreds of others in the field (they never message me if I accept).
Maybe I should clarify that these aren't things I would do on the job. I engaged with co-workers through volunteer work, at those goofy socials at the Chamber (which I refuse to do now), going out for lunch or drinks with folks I met in the halls, etc.
Either way, to me work isn't just going in, punching a clock, and cranking out canooter valves and cagibilt rings. As a program manager, I've always had an appreciation for the relationships and motivations of others. I do the canooter valve thing too, but I always enjoyed the brainstorming sessions and mind maps, and solving problems and making deals happen. I dunno, networking is part of the job if you ask me.