I see this often and wonder how much I miss as a result. Imgur links neither render as a link nor an image. I only know it's a link to an image when I view it the same post via the WebUI or another app. I don't even realize these are images most of the time and just scroll past.
Is it simply not being handled yet? A bug? Design decision?
Referenced post: https://lemmy.world/post/24776463
I remember back in the day having layout issues because boost wants to prioritize advertisements over posts.
The users in that thread shamed me for asking about it being a bug or by design.
My advice is to try new apps for front-end, there are a ton of options now.