Let’s talk about what Singaporeans really cared about this year, according to the one entity that knows our deepest curiosities better than our therapists ever could. Google’s freshly released 2025 search trends reveal a truth bomb hotter than the hawker wok your favorite char kway teow vendor uses our politicians and scandal plagued celebrities absolutely own our collective attention span, leaving actual entertainers choking on their digital dust.

Topping the list isn't some fresh faced Netflix darling or that K pop idol currently breaking TikTok. It’s Ng Chee Meng, our NTUC Secretary General and MP whose search spike coincided perfectly with election season dredging up that decade old MOE dialogue controversy like it was 2017 all over again. Coming in a close second None other than Ian Fang, the former actor now serving 40 months for offenses involving a minor, because apparently Singaporeans possess an insatiable appetite for Googling train wrecks in real time.

What does this say about us? That Singaporeans treat politics like spectator sport, gossip like oxygen, and actual scripted entertainment as an afterthought. Six of the top ten spots belonged to GE2025 candidates, proving we’re all low key obsessed with power dynamics and potential threats to our CPF accounts. Meanwhile Mediacorp’s Emerald Hill made the most searched shows list, but let’s not kid ourselves it only squeaked in next to Squid Game season 3 news because viewers needed something to binge while doom scrolling through political candidate backgrounds.

Here’s what fascinates me as someone who’s covered Singapore entertainment for over a decade Our celebrity ecosystem now operates like a vending machine dispensing moral lessons. Ian Fang’s ranking proves we can’t resist rubbernecking at career implosions, clicking compulsively as if watching digital breadcrumbs might explain how someone goes from Best Newcomer awards to orange jumpsuits. And we do it while clutching pearls, naturally.

Remember when local fame meant getting recognized at Mustafa Centre? Now it means trending for felony charges. Scrolling through the list feels like reviewing Singapore’s cultural autopsy report. Third place went to Alexis Dang, the Workers’ Party candidate whose viral fame began with netizens debating whether she’s “too pretty for politics” which frankly says more about our latent sexism than her policy proposals. Rounding out the top ten we’ve got veterans like Chee Soon Juan sharing digital real estate with surprise entries like Gurmit Singh’s comedian daughter Worms, because Singapore still loves nepo babies almost as much as it loves recycling political drama.

This brings me to fresh angle number one The quiet death of apolitical entertainment. Globally, search trends balance celebrity breakups and blockbuster trailers. Singapore’s algorithm serves up mortgage rate panic next to political apologies and prisoner mugshots. Why? Because we’ve conditioned ourselves to treat elections like Marvel crossover events complete with villain arcs, redemption narratives, and shock cameos. Nobody needs cinematic universes when your MP might show up at your void deck debating GRC boundaries over tau huay.

Fresh angle two The scandal paradox. Ian Fang’s high placement despite his crimes highlights our hypocrisy. We loudly demand accountability yet create digital monuments to offenders through search algorithms. This isn’t uniquely Singaporean remember how globally people Googled Johnny Depp way more during his trials? But here, where we pride ourselves on propriety, the cognitive dissonance stings sharper. Are we searching out of concern? Schadenfreude? Or just terrified our kids might accidentally stream his old dramas?

Third angle Personal confession time. Watching this unfold as an entertainment writer feels like being a sommelir at a construction site. We’re trained to analyze celebrity pregnancies and drama ratings while Singaporean eyeballs obsess over CDC voucher rollouts and cabinet reshuffle rumors. The last time I saw locals this rabid over entertainment? When Dim Sum Dollies reunited. That should terrify every content creator here.

What nobody’s discussing How search algorithms validate our biases. Ng Chee Meng trended because opposition forums resurrected old grievances during elections. Gan Kim Yong ranked not for healthcare policies but because someone leaked his hawker food recommendations. We’re not researching policies. We’re digging for dirt or lunch tips. Meanwhile actual entertainers need multiple Channel 8 series just to crack the top twenty.

Here’s the kicker Entertainment did have one win. Emerald Hill became our most searched show by being aggressively Singaporean. Family secrets. Haunted Peranakan houses. Mediacorp legend Aileen Tan doing that slow clap thing she does. Its success proves we’ll engage with stories made specifically for us, not cookie cutter global content. Yet even this victory feels muted next to real life MPs trending for decade old apologies.

So what’s the takeaway? Singaporeans deserve entertainment that respects our intelligence and political junkie tendencies. Maybe Mediacorp should cast real MPs in legal dramas. Or produce a House of Cards style series about GRC negotiations with Ian Fang playing the disgraced backbencher post release. It would probably break Google’s servers.

Until then, our search history remains dominated by three things Fear of inflation. Political theater. And insatiable curiosity about people who’ve fallen from grace. Which honestly tracks for a nation that lines up for everything from Hello Kitty to property launches. We love a spectacle, especially if it comes with free voter’s guilt and post search regret.