For me, SP is just too boring. In MP, you can interact with other players, from total newbies to old hands. The Clans generally stick to certain systems, and most will leave you alone. Their wars, taunts, and accusations add to the background flavor of the game and for the most part, I like that. It is the players in lvl 10 ships attacking newbies on cargo runs which can be irriating. However, these are for the most part a minority. And if you get killed by one, write down their name, warn other players, and seek them out later with a better ship! PvP is part of the MP expierence. It sucks when you get killed with a full load of cargo, but it is lot of fun turning the tables on them.
You can play on server which do not allow PvP, but that gets old after awhile, no risk, no danger, no real fun. For PvP servers, I would just avoid servers which do not have any rules about no PvP in Manhattan or Liberty space. Tried a few the other day when Elite was full and Seattle was down, and within minutes, was killed in my little starflier by lvl 10 ship players camping in Manhattan on two different servers. One was San Diego and cannot remember the other one. Getting started on those systems is a bit difficult.
So, try MP, read these forums for advise and tips, and enjoy. There are a lot of interesting players out there to interact with, so have fun.