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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. Although it has been described as "a subset of the
fallacy of relative privation", the term is also used by many people to acknowledge their gratefulness for not having worse problems, and recognise their problems in a global context. The term 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
Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used as a way to make complaints, express modesty, invoke optimal reactions or add humour. It may also be u ...
.
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
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
(where it became a popular
hashtag). In 2012,
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
NZ conducted a survey of First World problems in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, 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
The ''Macquarie Dictionary'' () is a dictionary of Australian English. It is generally considered by universities and the legal profession to be the authoritative source on Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand ...
'' 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
AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple Inc. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. The most recent model, AirPods (3rd generation ...
(the most frequent complaint about AirPods).
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
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
A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming ...
*Bad-tasting fruit
See also
*
Embarrassment of riches
*
First World privilege
*
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
*
Whataboutism
References
External links
*
First World Problems Anthem
{{Authority control
Internet memes
Social privilege
Slang
1970s neologisms