The BlockTube extension can make shorts disappear. In the options, check "Block Youtube Shorts videos". I also block all videos under 59 seconds, since they're effectively shorts. You can also block channels and never see them again.
Combine this with normal adblock, SponsorBlock (to skip the mid-video junk), and Unhook (to hide junk features of the platform), and the site becomes much more useful.
This doesn't solve: the fact that YT will still dip from an endless supply of dreck to keep your recommendations annoying, search results being full of click bait and repeated results, and the fact that watching hours of video on YT is at best marginally better than being a TV addict.
Combine this with normal adblock, SponsorBlock (to skip the mid-video junk), and Unhook (to hide junk features of the platform), and the site becomes much more useful.
This doesn't solve: the fact that YT will still dip from an endless supply of dreck to keep your recommendations annoying, search results being full of click bait and repeated results, and the fact that watching hours of video on YT is at best marginally better than being a TV addict.