globalization definitely played a huge role in this shift, and i think Singapore had been under huge influence from the West, especially American culture. For personally i think Singapore has a slant towards Western cultures, we readily accept Western-influenced products - fast food, media, fashion, etc.
Also, i think increasing educational levels and literacy rates also moved our society towards being more individualistic. With more information readily available. We are more aware of the rest of the world, and if we find that there are better methods of doing thing, we can adopt it into our local context and improve ourselves.