There was a time when getting dark mode felt like receiving some kind of exclusive technology privilege.

I still remember when Instagram started rolling out dark mode.

I was in school.

And somehow, I got access to it before a bunch of other people.

Obviously, I did what any completely normal teenager would do:

I put it on my Instagram Story.

“GUYS, I GOT DARK MODE.”

People actually used to ask me how they could get it.

I felt like I had discovered a secret feature hidden inside Instagram.

I remember doing basically the same thing when Snapchat started getting dark mode too.

Back then, dark mode wasn’t just a setting.

Dark mode was personality.

You were either still living in the bright white interface like some prehistoric internet user, or you had entered the future.

And I was very proudly in the future.

Fast-forward a few years.

I’m 23 now.

And I have come to a shocking conclusion:

I fucking hate dark mode.

And I don’t even completely understand why.

I Don’t Know When It Happened

Somewhere between school and adulthood, something changed.

I started noticing that whenever my phone switched from light mode to dark mode, I didn’t think:

“Damn, this looks clean.”

I thought:

“Why is everything so difficult to read?”

Especially when I’m reading.

That’s where dark mode completely loses me.

Give me an article with a giant block of white text sitting on a black background and my brain immediately goes:

Nope.

Make the font slightly smaller?

Absolutely not.

Add a little gray text?

I’m leaving.

Put a paragraph inside a dark interface with low contrast?

Congratulations, you’ve successfully made me not want to read whatever you wrote.

And that’s the thing I don’t understand about myself.

I used to love this.

Maybe I’m Just Getting Old

Maybe this is what adulthood looks like.

At 15:

“BRO I GOT DARK MODE FIRST.”

At 23:

“Can you please make the text bigger?”

Maybe I’m not becoming more mature.

Maybe I’m just becoming an old man.

I’m 23 and already complaining about font sizes.

Give me another ten years and I’ll probably be yelling at websites for having rounded corners.

But seriously, I think something else has changed.

I don’t care as much about how an interface looks anymore.

I care about whether it’s comfortable to use.

And that’s a pretty big difference.

Dark Mode Looks Cool. Light Mode Reads Better.

This is probably the biggest reason I keep coming back to light mode.

Dark mode often looks incredibly good.

I’ll give it that.

A black interface with subtle gray elements and bright text?

It can look premium.

It can look futuristic.

It can make an app feel dramatically more “techy.”

But when I’m actually trying to read something for a long time, aesthetics become secondary.

I don’t want my reading experience to feel like I’m decoding text from a spaceship.

I just want to read.

There’s a reason books have historically been printed as dark text on a light background.

Obviously, books and screens aren’t identical, and there are legitimate situations where dark interfaces can be more comfortable. But for me personally, when I’m reading paragraphs for a while, the classic combination just works:

light background + dark text + good typography.

It’s boring.

And that’s exactly why I like it.

The Weird Thing About Dark Mode Is That I Have to Fight the Interface

When I’m using light mode, I can generally just read.

When I’m using dark mode, I find myself adjusting things.

Maybe the font needs to be bigger.

Maybe the brightness needs to change.

Maybe the contrast isn’t quite right.

Maybe that gray text isn’t gray enough.

Maybe it is too gray.

And suddenly I’m spending more time negotiating with the interface than actually consuming the content.

That’s not what I want from technology.

The interface should disappear.

I shouldn’t have to think about the interface.

If I’m reading an article, watching something, researching a topic, or working on something, I want my attention on the content.

Not the theme.

But Here’s the Funny Part

I still understand why people love dark mode.

I really do.

For some situations, it’s great.

If you’re checking your phone at night, sitting in a dark room, or using certain applications for hours, a dark interface can make sense.

And some people simply find it more comfortable.

That’s completely valid.

The problem is that somewhere along the way, dark mode became associated with being the “better” or more sophisticated option.

It wasn’t enough to say:

“I prefer dark mode.”

It became:

“Dark mode is objectively better.”

And I’m not convinced that’s true.

It’s a preference.

And preferences change.

I Remember When Dark Mode Felt Like a Status Symbol

This is probably the part that makes me laugh the most.

I genuinely remember being excited about getting dark mode.

I was in school.

Instagram had started testing it, and I somehow ended up getting access.

I don’t even know why Instagram kept putting me into these tests.

But whenever I got some new feature before everyone else, I felt like I’d won something.

So naturally, I posted about it.

Same thing with Snapchat.

People would ask:

“How did you get dark mode?”

And I would basically become the unofficial technology support guy for my entire friend group.

Looking back, it’s hilarious.

Because now I couldn’t care less.

Give me the same app in light mode and I’m happier.

The feature that once made me feel like I was ahead of everyone else is now something I actively avoid.

And honestly, I think that’s kind of interesting.

Maybe Growing Up Changes What We Value

When you’re younger, technology can be about discovering things.

New phone.

New feature.

New update.

New UI.

New animation.

New theme.

You want to try everything.

You want the newest thing first.

You want to be the person who knows about the feature nobody else has.

But eventually, you start asking a different question:

“Is this actually useful to me?”

That’s a completely different way of looking at technology.

I don’t need my phone to look futuristic anymore.

I need it to work.

I don’t need an interface to impress me.

I need it to stay out of my way.

And maybe that’s why light mode started winning me over.

It’s not exciting.

It’s not edgy.

It’s not something I’d post on Instagram saying, “GUYS I GOT LIGHT MODE.”

But when I have something long to read?

Give me the white screen.

Am I the Only Weirdo?

This is where you guys come in.

Because I genuinely want to know.

Are you a light mode person or a dark mode person?

And more importantly:

Has your preference changed over time?

Because I swear I’m not making this up.

I used to be the guy excited about dark mode.

I used to show people that I had it.

I used to think it looked cooler.

Now I open something in dark mode and immediately start looking for the setting to turn it off.

Maybe I’m getting old.

Maybe I’ve matured.

Maybe I’ve just developed extremely strong opinions about typography.

Or maybe…

dark mode really does suck.

I don’t know.

Tell me I’m wrong.

One More Thing

If you’ve somehow made it this far, first of all, thank you for listening to me complain about a phone setting for several hundred words.

Second, I actually post this kind of random stuff on Instagram too.

I’m not particularly active there, but if you want to see what else goes on inside my brain, you can find me at @yapping.jaainil.

Sometimes I talk about technology.

Sometimes I overthink completely unnecessary things.

Sometimes I just yap.

Honestly, mostly the last one.

Key Takeaways

I used to love dark mode and was genuinely excited when Instagram and Snapchat gave me early access.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started caring more about readability and comfort than aesthetics.
Dark mode can look great, but looking good and being comfortable to read aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Light mode feels more natural to me, especially for long-form reading.
There’s no universally “correct” theme. Your preference can change—and that’s perfectly fine.
And yes, I’m probably going to continue being the weird guy who chooses light mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is light mode better than dark mode?

Not universally. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and personal comfort, lighting conditions, screen type, and the specific interface all matter.

Why do I prefer light mode?

For me, it’s primarily about readability. Dark text on a light background feels easier to read when I’m dealing with longer pieces of text.

Is dark mode bad for your eyes?

Not necessarily. Dark mode isn’t inherently harmful to your eyes. Comfort depends on factors such as brightness, contrast, ambient lighting, font size, and individual preference.

Why does dark mode feel harder to read?

Some people find light text on a dark background less comfortable for extended reading, particularly when contrast, font weight, spacing, or brightness aren’t well tuned.

Is it weird to prefer light mode?

Absolutely not.

Although apparently I am the weird one, because I’ve spent an entire article explaining why I prefer the default-looking option.

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So, tell me:

Are you team Light Mode ☀️ or team Dark Mode 🌙?

And if you switched sides at some point, when did it happen?

Because I need to know whether I’m actually becoming an old man at 23. 😭

I Used to Love Dark Mode. Now I Absolutely Hate It