From political discourse to public perception, GE2025 shows why social intelligence is now essential for strategic decision making.
Singapore’s 2025 General Election marked more than a political milestone - it was a turning point in how digital platforms shaped public sentiment and engagement in real time. While the outcome was decisive with the People’s Action Party (PAP) securing 87 out of 97 seats, the journey to the polls was anything but straightforward.
Beyond the media headlines, millions of online interactions offered a window into the nation’s evolving digital psyche - a space where opinions are shared as quickly as they’re formed, and where the line between influence and information continues to blur.
Through Meltwater’s social intelligence platform data, several defining moments emerged from GE2025’s digital landscape. These insights revealed not only how narratives were shaped, but empower organisations - from brands to public institutions - to adapt in real-time to audience sentiment, and make data informed decisions in a fast moving environment.
The Digital Footprint of Physical Campaigns
Campaign rallies and walkabouts may still be physical events, but their reach is now amplified far beyond any single constituency. What once resonated with local audiences is now broadcast, dissected, and reframed across social platforms - extending influence in unexpected ways.
In the week leading up to rallies, walkabouts and nomination day (16-22 April 2025), Meltwater’s analysis found that the People’s Action Party (PAP) largely dominated the Share of Voice across Search Queries, Engagement and Reach. More than two-thirds of election-related posts remained neutral in sentiment during this period.
The following week, as campaigning intensified, a Workers’ Party rally in mid-April led to increased traction across the same metrics. This clearly indicates that events are no longer one-off moments; they serve as powerful catalysts for ongoing digital narratives, with a prolonged and profound effect on the community.
With the right social listening tools, organisations can track the ripple effects of both online and offline, adjusting messaging, spotting trends, and sustaining engagement.
TikTok Turned Doom Scrolling Into a Civic Classroom
TikTok’s influence during GE2025 went far beyond viral entertainment. It became a civic classroom for younger voters. Creators simplified complex policy issues - from cost of living measures, to housing and healthcare reforms, into short, digestible content, creators that were relatable and shareable.
Hashtags like #GE2025 and #peoplesactionparty collectively amassed 140 million views, underscoring the platform’s role in election literacy. For many first-time voters, TikTok wasn’t just where they learned - it was where they formed opinions.
This shift from top-down messaging to decentralised, peer-driven storytelling highlights a powerful truth: attention is earned, not guaranteed. In this environment, organisations must go beyond scheduled posts to understand formats that resonate, topics that are gaining traction, and how to join conversations with authenticity and impact.
By decoding engagement patterns, Meltwater provides data-backed insights that enable decision-makers to stay relevant in a world where narratives move at the speed of the scroll.
Hashtags as Sensors of Sentiment
In GE2025, hashtags acted not only as rallying cries but also as real-time barometers of public opinion. Between 23-29 April 2025, Meltwater observed the Workers’ Party gaining ground in digital engagement across issues such as education, healthcare, and taxation - areas that surfaced repeatedly in online conversations.
These insights served as proxies for voter sentiment, offering a layer of understanding that traditional polling often misses. Hashtag trends revealed which topics were gaining emotional traction and which narratives were declining - a valuable asset for policymakers, brand strategists, and communication professionals alike.
With social intelligence, these seemingly scattered conversations become structure signals that help organisations read between the lines, detect shifts in perception, and act before the narrative is set. As the saying goes - ‘trust takes years to build, and seconds to break’, making social intelligence like this an invaluable tool for reputation management.
Listening is No Longer Optional
GE2025 revealed a fundamental shift in influence. It is no longer held solely by institutions, but co-authored by communities, scaled by creators, and amplified exponentially through various platforms.
This is where Meltwater’s strength lies, not as a passive data provider, but as a strategic solutions provider that helps organisations make sense of complex, fast-moving conversations. Whether it’s understanding the dynamics behind a trending topic, or preparing for reputational risks that haven’t yet made headlines, social intelligence is key to identifying these trends.
As Singapore’s digital engagement continues to evolve, so too must the strategies of those hoping to remain influential. As the lines blurred between traditional campaigning and digital content, platforms like TikTok, X, and Instagram became central to influence, education, and mobilisation. Conversations extended far beyond physical rallies and newsrooms in GE2025, being replayed and reshaped across the web. The election made one thing clear: social media doesn’t just reflect sentiment, it drives it.
Success in the digital age requires listening with intent, responding with clarity, and acting with foresight - not just having the loudest voice.
