I was listening to Jesse Hirsh interviewed yesterday on CBC radio about the new features announced last week by Facebook. The host, Matt Galloway, asked Hirsh if there could come a time when everyone would have to be on Facebook.

Hirsh’s reply was surprising but intriguing: he said in the short-term not everyone had to be on Facebook but it would be “absolutely” necessary in the long-run to access new Web services and show companies that you were credit-worthy and trustworthy.

Given my tepid embrace of Facebook – I’m mostly on it for professional reasons – the idea of having to be on Facebook is fascinating and troubling. It speaks to Facebook’s power and the role it plays within the digital landscape. But at the same time, it raises the spectre that Facebook is becoming too powerful and dominant, particularly if everyone will eventually need to be on Facebook. If you worried about Facebook before, Hirsh’s prediction should make you even more concerned.

Personally, the idea of having to be on Facebook is bizarre because it suggests people won’t be able to operate digitally or, at least, they will have a neutered experience. To effectively use the Web shouldn’t be predicated on being a member of a particular service, particularly one such as Facebook, which is in the business of data-collection to drive revenue growth.

If there comes a time when Facebook becomes a necessary evil, you know the Web has wandered into a bad place that will make Net Neutrality look like a walk in the park.

The thing is Facebook is a Web Goliath but it’s not the Web. As much as Facebook is driving to create a one-stop shopping ecosystem (AOL, anyone?), it is not bigger than the Internet and, as a result, it shouldn’t be allowed to attain must-have status.

Some people might counter that Facebook could be akin to e-mail given it is difficult to have a full Web experience without an inbox of some kind. But the difference is there are thousands and thousands of e-mail services so no one is dependent on a single entity to get the benefits of e-mail.

There are a few flaw in Hirsh’s suggestion about Facebook. One is the idea that Web services will not be available to anyone without a Facebook account. I would counter that any Web services that wants to make itself accessible to offer a variety of ways to join – Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and e-mail – rather than go exclusively with Facebook. Second, there will be ways other than Facebook to demonstrate your credit worthiness and trustworthiness.

Bottom line: Facebook is a dominant player but it is doesn’t have that much power despite Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitions to rule the world.