The issue seems to be with the code that retrieves the first media URL for the user's profile. Here's a possible solution:
{{ URL::asset(auth()->user()->getFirstMediaUrl('profile') ?: '/images/user/Firefighter-Silhouette.png') }}
In the code above, the ?? operator has been replaced with the ?: operator. The ?? operator checks if the left-hand side expression is null or empty, and if so, it returns the right-hand side expression. However, in this case, the getFirstMediaUrl method might be returning an empty string instead of null, which is why the default image is not being displayed.
By using the ?: operator, if the left-hand side expression is null, empty, or evaluates to false, it will return the right-hand side expression.
Make sure that the path to the default image is correct. If the image is located in the public/images/user/ directory, the path should be relative to the public directory.
If the issue persists, ensure that the default image file exists in the specified location and that the file name is correct.