Why Wasn't I Consulted (WWIC)
Phrase used to describe the frustration or resentment that individuals may feel when they are not included in decision-making processes that directly affect them or their work.
EverydayConcepts.io
Origin
The concept was crystallized by writer and programmer Paul Ford in a 2011 essay, "The Web Is a Customer Service Medium," in which he argued that "Why Wasn't I Consulted?" was the fundamental question driving the web's most successful participatory platforms. Ford proposed that humans have a deep need to be engaged and heard, and that services which answered this question — Wikipedia, Reddit, Stack Overflow — earned outsized loyalty. The phrase spread rapidly in technology and product design circles after the essay's publication.
Updated February 22, 2026