Ahhh...Edison Chen Emerged As The Fastest Rising Search Item In Singapore This Year

The Singapore Google Zeitgeist 2008 page had been released, highlighting the most searched items (via Google of course) in Singapore. The name 'Edison Chen' came on top as the fastest rising searched item in this island. This means it experienced the biggest rise in searches in 2008 compared the previous year. The Edison Chen scandal exploded in the local virtual space after photos of his sex photos were leaked online. This eventually led to the 'pornification' of our online community - in our blogosphere and beyond.














Lets put that aside and turn our attention to the top three Google News local searches. The keywords 'singapore olympics' and 'singapore table tennis' topped the table in this category. This proves two things. Firstly, Singaporeans are indeed supportive of their athletes. This is evident since a lot of citizens follow the progress of their athletes online. Secondly, it can also mean that more Singaporeans are utilizing the Internet to get the latest in sports news. Of course, the controversies might have helped...














Now lets proceed to the next category, and that is the Most Popular search items of the year. Out of all the ten items listed in the table, four of them have roots with the soft social media. We are talking about Youtube, Wiki, Facebook and of course blogging. This proves that more Singaporeans are seeking entertainment, gathering information and staying connected with family and friends by using the Internet.

Globally, Sarah Palin became the most searched person in Google. She beat the likes of Heath Ledger, whose death was widely publicized, and President-elect Barack Obama. Social networking websites dominate the table with four finalists including Facebook (English), Wer Kennt Wen (German), Tuenti (Spanish) and Nasza Klasa (Polish).