“I would do it all over again"

Darko Radovac a.k.a. "Dex," started his YouTube career as a part of the Yasserstain channel, dedicated to entertaining and educational videos. Later on, he decided to pursue a music career and launched his own channel, Dex Lik.

DW Akademie: What motivated you to take part in "Clickbait" and cooperate with DW Akademie?

Darko Radovac

Darko Radovac: My personal motive for participating in that project was my own sense of responsibility as a YouTuber. I knew that we might not bring about some great change, but I have always believed that it’s worth at least trying. And I believe we did make a difference: traditional media began to report about profanities and other controversial content on the Serbian YouTube scene. The fact that the problem exists reached more people. For many parents in Serbia, that was the first time they really heard and saw the kind of content to which their children are constantly exposed.

But then, the backlash happened. How did you feel during that time? Did you feel hurt at some point?

During the scandal, I really didn't feel hurt, unlike some of my colleagues. Some of the tabloids that always endorsed Baka Prase because of the clicks he brings them spread some horrible lies about me. But I really didn’t let that hit me personally. If we had real rule of law here in Serbia, I could sue them and win a lot of money, but that's not how things work here, so I just decided to let it go.

To be honest, no one targeted me personally, they focused on girls and on one colleague who is a bit older than the rest of us, so they engaged in ageism against him. In general, I wasn’t afraid, since I’ve been fighting these kinds of people my entire life.

Now, in the aftermath, knowing how you and many other creators who never collaborated with DW Akademie were targeted, what is your view on the whole event? Would you do it all over again if you knew what was going to happen?

From the bottom of my heart, yes, I would do it all over again. Also, I would take part in any other project that sends an ethical and positive message or healthy criticism. I would do it again because of us, as a team. We spent so much time together and created so many memories that we will probably stay a team forever.

But, on the other hand, I have definitely learned that I cannot and should not feel responsible for all the things that are wrong with the YouTube scene or society in general. I've been thinking about it a lot during the coronavirus crisis. It also taught me that people often show a lack of responsibility and a lack of empathy, too. I've realized that I can't, and I don’t have to, correct every injustice in this society.

 Interview: Jovana Gligorijević