The Annual Audit: Becoming Statisticians of Our Own Lives

December, for some years, has been the month of the “Digital Mirror”

It’s officially that time of year. Every app on my phone, from Spotify to LinkedIn to my banking app (scary spending review), is trying to hand me a “Year in Review.”

We have to give credit where it’s due: Spotify turned a data-mining experiment into a global cultural holiday. But as I scroll through colourful charts and “Top 1%” badges, I’ve been wondering: Is this still the best game in town for personalisation?

The answer is probably YES. But not because of the algorithms or the flashy graphics.

It wins because it taps into something deeply human: The desire to know yourself and to be known. Or let me rephrase that: the desire to understand yourself, be understood, and maybe be accepted.

We aren’t just sharing stats; we are holding up a digital mirror and saying to our network, “This is the soundtrack of my life. This is what moved me this year. This is who I am when nobody is watching.”

In a world of curated highlights, there is something oddly vulnerable about sharing that you listened to the same heartbreak anthem 472 times.

Tempting as it may be for me (lol), I don’t intend to share an AI-generated infographic summary of all my app summaries. Instead, I wanted to share what I think were the two best moments of this year, which were spent with family. One was with my wife, celebrating SG60, where we spent half a day reliving Singapore’s history and heritage, wearing our matching SG-themed red t-shirts. Second was celebrating my mum-in-law’s 70th birthday with family. 2025 has been character-building (my way of saying challenging), and I found inspiration, comfort and solace in family.

Here’s wishing everyone a 2026 filled with moments so spontaneous, joyful, loving, meaningful, and offline that no app but only your heart, mind and spirit can completely capture the moment.

Happy Holidays, everyone.