The meaning of a value (data type in programming lingo) is not a preference because it is objective, not subjective. It depends on the cell being displayed, not on the viewer in front of the screen.
It's not a setting which determines how a value stored in a sheet is interpreted. It's a setting which determines how inputs are interpreted before being stored.
When you type eg "4/4", "4-Apr", "2025-04-04" or whatever, it is converted to a number based on your local date format. The cell has a date format applied to it so that the number appears as a date. If you send the sheet to someone else, it will display the same numeric value, using their settings to display it as a date.
But GP isn't talking about value, they are talking about process of entering the value, so that _their_ editor (Excel) wouldn't convert it to something weird.
