Elon Musk Says Twitter Is Permanently Switching To Dark Mode
As part of Twitter's ongoing and controversial rebrand into X, the social media network will be going dark — as in dark mode. That's because owner Elon Musk recently tweeted that he is looking to permanently be set to dark mode, removing the default light mode in the process. A detailed explanation was not given as to why this would be the case, with Musk simply stating that dark mode "is better in every way."
What is interesting is that, according to researchers, neither light nor dark mode poses any widespread benefits to its usage. Appfire cites such research, which concludes that normal-sighted users perform better using light mode while those with reading difficulties or frequenting bright rooms are better using dark mode. A report by Wired also claims that dark mode's benefits and drawbacks are more individualized than originally thought upon its late 2010s introduction.
On a scientific level, dark mode actually isn't all that different from light mode, making Musk's decision to remove it somewhat perplexing. However, what makes it even worse is that the so-called "light mode" was a core part of Twitter's brand, with light blue and white being the network's official colors. With small changes like these adding up during the rebrand, it's been estimated that X could lose billions in value.
A brief recap of the X rebrand
It is unknown when this permanent shift into dark mode will start. However, what is known is that this decision has been one of many controversial proposals that Musk has revealed since the X rebrand commenced. While the acquisition of Twitter by Musk was already filled with controversy, the fast speed of its transformation into X has been labeled by some analysts as a massive mistake. This is due to the fact that Twitter has become a part of the worldwide culture, and transitioning out of that at such a rapid pace seemingly spells out disaster.
"It took 15-plus years to earn that much equity worldwide, so losing Twitter as a brand name is a significant financial hit," one branding expert recently told Bloomberg.
Not only that, but there is a likelihood that legal issues could be facing X Corp. as they turn Twitter into X. A 2017 patent from Meta has recently resurfaced that involves a product named X made for social networking. Furthermore, the removal of Twitter signage this past week was halted by San Francisco police due to the curb work being unapproved by the city, which could lead to fines.