My prefix is silence
My infix is a reference
My suffix is a direction
I avoid interaction
Hint #1
My infix is the suffix of my prefix
Hint #2
My suffix, though technically a direction, is mostly referred to be a change in direction.
My prefix is silence
tacit - understood or implied without being spoken
My infix is a reference
it - refers to something [Edited: First try was cit. - abbreviation of citation]
My suffix is a direction
turn - a direction, or a change in direction per hint 2
I avoid interaction
taciturn - reserved or saying little
Are you a
SHREW?
My prefix is silence
SH, signalling silence.
My infix is a reference
RE, meaning reference.
My suffix is a direction
EW, east-west.
I avoid interaction
Shrews are secretive creatures that hide away from others.
Perhaps
SHUTDOWN
My prefix is silence
"SH-" means quiet as noted by others, or "SHUT" being part of (crassly) "shut up"
My infix is a reference
"-UT-" could be a reference to any number of things, including "Universal Time", "Utah", "University of Toronto", etc.
My suffix is a direction
"-DOWN" is a direction
I avoid interaction
To have an emotional shutdown is to cut people off; to implement a large-scale societal shutdown is to ensure minimal interaction between people
As for the hint,
"-UT" is a suffix of "SHUT-".
I think it might be
Shun
My prefix is silence
Sh
My infix is a reference
U = reference for Uranium or possibly "you" (although this clue is very broad)
My suffix is a direction
N for North
I avoid interaction
Shun means to persistently avoid, ignore, or reject
Not sure if this valid, but you could be a
My prefix is silence
As others have indicated, say 'SH' to silence someone
My infix is a reference
UTI can stand for Unique Transaction Identifier, a globally unique identifier for individual transactions in financial markets
My suffix is a direction
N, meaning North
I avoid interaction
A shut-in usually doesn't leave their home, thus avoiding most/all interaction
Regarding the hint
I took that to mean there's no overlap between the prefix and infix, but I'm thinking it might actually mean the complete opposite (or something else entirely)
Are you
Mummers
My prefix is silence
To keep mum is to remain silent
My infix is a reference
Not really sure how "me" relates here
My suffix is a direction
R-S notation describes the direction of a molecule
I avoid interaction
Mummers pantomime and don't interact with actual objects
Could be a stretch, but I think this is
Wraparound
My prefix is silence
Wrap: To keep things under wraps refers to keep things secret/quiet
My infix is a reference
APA: This is a style commonly used for references or citations
My suffix is a direction
Around can be used as a direction
I avoid interaction
Something that wraps around back to itself cannot interact with things besides itself.
My infix is the suffix of my prefix
'apa' overlaps with the 'ap' of 'wrap'
My suffix, though technically a direction, is mostly referred to be a change in direction.
"Around" can be used as both, but is usually used for the latter