Dynamic range and loudness normalisation are surely the main reason people are using subtitles, but habits are undeniably also changing too, as is the way people consume media in general.

People don’t just look at the TV for an hour straight - they are doing other things, or second-screening, or having conversations, and multiple methods being available to pick up on the show dialog is helpful.

Let’s not forget simple reasons like accessibility, either. My friend here in the UK is Hungarian, and despite being completely fluent in English he always likes to watch shows with subtitles as it helps with understanding some British accents which can be tricky for non-natives.

And people just process information in different ways. We’ve all heard by now that some individuals can be visually oriented, while other people are aural. If you get a choice, why not take it?

Not to mention that subs on streaming services are much better visual quality and timing than subs on broadcast TV used to be, which felt nasty and mis-timed, and very second-class. Clearly ‘good enough’ for hard of hearing individuals but not very pleasant.

I don’t think it’s a hot take to say that as accessibility features get better and more available, more people will use them. And accessibility is for everyone.