I found that out a few months ago.

...good for you?

Yeah it was surprising when I found it out awhile back. I believe the reasoning during the overhaul was to make it easier to find newer uploads (and active artists/accounts) compared to those from the 2000's or early 2010's as those tend to remain the most popular just due to how long they've been on the site. There are still a lot of great uploads from that time even with the artists that have occasionally purged their galleries before quitting. Also every time you go to the search box it defaults back to 5 years.

yeah i noticed it a while ago when i suddenly couldn't find some old pieces i remembered enjoying and wanted to fave. i kept forgetting to make a post about it tho, and i'm sure there are plenty of people who haven't noticed it. a bit annoyed it wasn't announced more clearly, like with a banner or something instead of just a journal or whatever i imagine they actually did.

you can make it so it doesn't default to just the last five years, in your site settings. i fixed mine on this account but hadn't done it for my nsfw one, which is why i remembered it again and made this post.