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First World problem

Term for issues in the First World

NOTOC First World problem is an informal term for the issues in First World nations that are complained about in response to the perceived absence of more pressing concerns. It has been called a subset of the fallacy of relative privation and is also used to acknowledge gratefulness for not having worse problems, such as those in the Second or Third Worlds. It has been used to minimize complaints about trivial issues and shame the complainer, to generate humour at the expense of first world culture, and as good-humored self-deprecation.

History

The term First World problem first appeared in 1979 in G. K. Payne's work Built Environment, but gained recognition as an Internet meme beginning in 2005, particularly on social networking sites like Twitter (where it became a popular hashtag). In 2012, UNICEF NZ conducted a survey of First World problems in New Zealand, finding "slow web access" to be the most common. The phrase was added to the Oxford Dictionary Online in November 2012, and to the online Macquarie Dictionary in December 2012.

Examples

Things that have been cited as being First World problems include:

Slow Internet access
Poor mobile-phone coverage
Phone battery dying (low battery anxiety)
Television remote not working
Misplacing AirPods (the most frequent complaint about AirPods). Apple Inc. attempted to alleviate this problem by introducing a "Find My AirPods" application in 2017.
Not being able to find items in a shop
Getting a bad haircut
Bad-tasting fruit
Self-checkout in stores
Forgetting headphones
Feeling like there's nothing to eat even though there is plenty of food available.

References

Hardy, Quentin. (18 May 2012). "Eduardo Saverin's Billionaire Blues". The New York Times.
Turkel, Bruce. (6 September 2016). "All about Them: Grow Your Business by Focusing on Others". Da Capo Press.
Glover, Richard. (24 November 2012). "As the First World turns". Sydney Morning Herald.
"First World (Special uses)". Oxford University Press.
López, Tracy. (11 July 2012). "How acknowledging your "First World problems" can make you happier". Voxxi.
Steinmetz, Katy. (20 November 2012). "Oxford Dictionaries adds 'deets', '4G' and 'First World problems'".
"First World problem definition". Oxford University Press.
(23 October 2023). "Word of the Year 2012". Macquarie Dictionary.
Harper, Paul. (8 October 2012). "Kiwis complain about 'First World problems'". New Zealand Herald.
Sum, Eliza. (28 July 2016). ""Battery anxiety" making smartphone users miss meetings, dates and jeopardize relationships". Geelong Advertiser.
Stampher, Jillian. (January 24, 2017). "Solving First World Problems: Apple To Release 'Find My AirPods' Feature With Latest iOS Update". GeekWire.
Weeks, Linton. (6 December 2010). "Impatient Nation: I Can't Wait For You To Read This". [[NPR]].
(20 February 2017). "First world problems: ISU Edition".
Smith, Kristy. (March 7, 2021). "Different Drum Humor First world fridge problems loom large in life".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

internet-memes social-privilege slang 1970s-neologisms

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