It is almost midnight in a supermarket in Michigan, in the United States.
Walter E. Zerod works for Red Baron Pizza and is stocking frozen pizzas in a freezer.
A young man approaches him and asks what time it is. Walter stops what he is doing, takes out his phone and checks the time.
The young man then brings his own smartphone close to Walter's and plays the sound of an Apple Pay transaction.
Then, laughing, he tells Walter that he has just stolen 10 dollars from him.
It is a prank staged to make a video for social media.
Walter, however, does not find it funny at all and, when provoked again, loses his patience and pours out all the exhaustion of a lifetime of sacrifice.
He says he is exhausted, works all day and does not even have time to see his children.
“This is not a joke to me! My life is already hard enough!”
“My kids have gone to bed without me. I was supposed to be home an hour ago and I'm still here working!”
“Tomorrow I have to get up at five in the morning and do another ten stores. So this is not a joke to me!”
“You're probably making money from this! I can't even pay my mortgage! And I have four kids at home!”
For the creator, it is entertainment. For Walter, it is yet another difficulty in an already punishing day.
The creator's video is posted online and goes viral.
But something unexpected happens. And, fortunately, something good.
People do not laugh at Walter. They are outraged by the creator's behaviour and start sharing the footage to stand up for the worker.
A stranger, Luke Oakenshield, decides to start a fundraiser to help him. Within a few days, more than 22,000 donations come in, totalling over 780,000 dollars.
Red Baron also speaks out publicly in support of its employee.
On 5 November, Walter asks for donations to be paused, publicly thanks everyone for their generosity and encourages anyone who wants to keep giving to support other families in need or charities.
Personally, this story moved me deeply and stirred two opposing feelings in me.
On the one hand, sadness at seeing how thin the line between entertainment and exploiting people's lives has become.
People turned into content without knowing their story. Without knowing what they are going through. Without caring about the consequences.
On the other hand, though, this story has restored a little of my hope in humanity.
The empathy and mobilisation of thousands of people turned a humiliating episode, yet another burden on an already worn-out worker's shoulders, into an extraordinary wave of solidarity.
A collective gesture that has made a real difference to the lives of Walter and his family. One that he will probably never forget.
I hope this story serves as a warning to those who create content for social media.