The Grinch

Everytime I try to hug somebody, they hug faster.

I think I can relate to what @Inactivity has. It's quite difficult to sense the tone of something someone says. IRL you could use gestures, a smile, etc, to clarify and give direction to what you mean. On the internet you can't, so you're quite dependent on how your conversation partner interprets your message. Sometimes you can accidentally offend people with something, even though you meant it nicely. I'm always scared that what I say will be interpreted in a wrong way

Is hugging people a prominent thing in other countries? 

I don't really see people hug friends, or even used as a greeting in Denmark. But when I was in France it was extremely commonplace...