The.Mediocre.Blogger

“And let there be darkness…”

– Marshall Beck (author)
– Early computer engineers
– Also, some dev who thought application UIs looked great in black

When God “created” light, separating darkness from it, he/she probably did not anticipate the humanly obsession with darkness. No, not the satanic rituals or ‘goth’ culture (wouldn’t mind goth girls, honestly) but even just your wardrobe that is dominated by varying shades of black to the black aesthetics of your screens yells our attraction towards “darkness” is escalating.

I’m talking about the “Dark Mode” – one of the most popular and growing feature or add-ons your phone and computer applications have to offer. And developers are not pumping it as fast enough as people are eating it. Almost any application that supports this aesthete on almost anyone’s phone is running on dark mode. (Take claim with grain of salt)

This was further boosted when iOS 13 and Google introduced the system-wide Dark Mode feature on their operating systems and are taking it even further . They claimed to have given users what they’d wanted for so long. And by now, that has proved to be true – the usage of Dark Mode or Night Mode continues to spread. Even Mobile Banking apps are getting in on the game, as Laxmi Sunrise Mobile Money app does feature it. And if an app or website doesn’t, browsers have their own ‘Dark Mode’ toggle support – so, you can surmise its popularity.

Why are we so obsessed with Dark Mode?

To me, it just looks pleasing. Whenever I get a new phone in my hands or download a new application, the first thing I do is search for its dark mode – and I never really turn it off. It just seems like the right thing to do. But not everyone of you is like me, so, why do we do it?

Dark Mode is better for the eyes?

If you’ve ever been woken up at night and instantly reached for your phone for the time, and hit by the whitest & brightest of all lights this logic can be hard to argue with.

It’s easy to see why it’s hellish when you’re half-asleep. That white flash of light is a major reason for people choosing to go dark. Of course, it’s not the only reason but it does drive home the point that many hate white screens because they find it strenuous on the eyes.

And if you spend your day and late hours on the computer or your phone, your eyes tend to exhaust themselves. The blue light that screens emit suppresses our sleep-inducing hormones, melatonin, which reduces the quality and amount of sleep.

However, Dark Mode cuts down that emission significantly, and can exude a pleasing sight to the eyes as they can reduce eye-strain in low-light conditions.

However, there is another side to this…because if you read for long periods of time, especially in normal or well-lit conditions, it is argued that black text on white background is best. Because white reflects every wavelength on the color spectrum, that property is best suited for your eyes as your irises don’t have to open as wide to absorb light.

And white light strains are only applicable on dim environments. While dark mode does reduce strain in dim environments, reading long chunks of text on it can cause further eye strain by causing your irises to expand more.

So, there’s no Black and White here, only varying shades of gray (wish this could be introduced on our screens). All in all, both are suitable for varying environments, so, use the one that you feel is easier on your eyes and your personality.

A Battery Saver

Now, this is 100% true. Dark mode on your phones consumes less power as compared to light modes. Since light mode fires up all the pixels on your phone screens, dark mode can do without it – especially with the modern OLED or AMOLED screens – turning off pixels when not in use.

This is a solution many tech giants are also employing to increase power efficiency on their devices as it has been known to reduce power consumption by up to 63% – in some scenarios.

All About the Looks

Other reasons aside, one major reason I use Dark Mode is because it looks fucking awesome! Yes, there are some who don’t like it at all – it’s a matter of preference. But for those of us who do, it’s about the aesthetics of it. And why does it look good on our screens?

The dark mode interface is so appealing because black does not have any hue, and fits seamlessly with other components, making it more enjoyable. With Dark Mode on, almost any other accent color on the UI works – just like any other color goes with black in our wardrobes – be it red or orange or green, or just about anything. It matches with any color without making it look awkward. Black maintains contrast and is something that always looks neat and fresh, and any other color against it almost always looks attractive.

This improves user experience and makes navigating a lot easier. It resonates with you, providing a sleek yet austere aesthetic.

Also, of course, black is considered premium in the design and fashion segment – has always worked for big designer brands. It is timeless and a symbol of ‘class’.

Because it’s a Dark, Dark World

This may off as overdramatic, but personally, Dark mode gets me. It reflects the darkness inside, the darkness I hide, and it is indeed a dark, dark world that we live in.

The world is sad. There’s much less to be happy about than there are reasons to be sad. Life is depressing. The biggest fear is not ghosts, or humans disproving the existence of God but the endless marching of time that will eat us alive without accomplishing anything with our meaningless existence. It’s a dark road ahead and the torch flickers from time to time. It’s scary out there, and I cannot make peace with it. So, the least I can do is set up my phone to Dark Mode and reflect all of it.

Too much?

Well, it’s a mood and it slaps…and makes much more sense than any technical arguments. It’s all really simple – we like Dark Mode for the same reason we like our Dark shaded clothes – the resonation, the aesthetics, and how it reflects us and everything else really well. We simply like it.

Therefore…let there be darkness!