[coliveira]

I don't know how FB can be a threat to the web if it can only exist because of the web. In a sense, friend data is just another kind of data. The same thing can be said, for example, of Gmail or hotmail. They host the email and contact information for millions of people.

[tl]

That's like saying cancer can't be a threat to people because it can only exist because of people.

[Tichy]

There are already native Facebook apps for iPads and phones. So FB can exist without the web. Some people predict a Facebook phone in the future.

[netcan]

Good point. It's not hard to imagine social media to have evolved out of web based email clients.

If instead of facebook we had all Facebook's features gradually added to Gmail (If you sent a Googler back 5-6 years in a time machine, that might be what we'd get), I don't think it would seem odd that it should be an island.