海角大神

The social media sphere lit up this weekend with an outpouring of cyber-support for a Florida tollbooth worker who had been fired from his job.聽

Vladislav Samsonov, a military veteran who had worked at a booth in Boca Grande, Fla., for 29 years, says he was let go for paying a driver鈥檚 toll out of his own pocket. He had mistakenly undercharged the driver and decided to pay the remainder himself. It was something he frequently did when drivers were short on cash 鈥� and something he had previously been warned about, .

鈥淚n my eyes there was no crime committed, I just helped somebody out,鈥� Samsonov told the outlet. 鈥淚鈥檇 put the six dollars in, I got the six dollars back the next day.鈥�

The incident is the latest example of the Internet rallying behind a person who, after performing an act of kindness, was perceived to have been punished for doing so. While this instance appears to be more a case of covering his own mistake than helping a stranger out, online users of social media have latched onto the idea that he had been fired for committing a random act of kindness. And, as he tells it, that is how the issue began.

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has declined to comment, according to NBC-2.

Support has since poured in for Samsonov, both in person and online.

As more people engage and communicate using social networks 鈥� of online US adults use two or more social media sites, the Pew Research Center reported 鈥� such responses to a perceived injustice have become more common.

Part of the viral nature of these stories has to do with the Internet鈥檚 affair with random acts of kindness.

鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly clear that Americans like passing on feel-good stories about people doing good almost as much as they like spreading cute-pet videos or the latest on Kim Kardashian,鈥� 海角大神鈥檚 Amanda Paulson wrote in 2014. She added:

It鈥檚 the randomness that seems to catch most readers鈥� attention, and perhaps make them hopeful that more people would display such kindness to strangers. And it鈥檚 possible, of course, that the stories inspire similar behavior, though cynics might say that they enable people to feel good about the world without having to go to the trouble of acting themselves.

Throw in the chance for a little righteous indignation, and the result is viral gold.

鈥淥f all the emotions, it seems to me that righteous rage is the most intoxicating of all,鈥� theology professor and Rev. Michael Jensen in an opinion piece for the Australian Broadcasting Company. 鈥淲e prefer the chance to unleash some justified human anger to pretty much any other feeling.

鈥淭here's a rush that comes with feeling morally superior, not just because you are correct and someone isn't, but because you are not guilty and they absolutely are,鈥� he added. Not the most noble of impulses, to be sure 鈥� but it can, in some instances, lead to change.

Take Kristopher Oswald, whom retail giant Walmart fired in 2013 for intervening when he saw a man grab a woman during his break. Walmart said Mr. Oswald, a worker in Hartland, Mich., violated the company鈥檚 safety policy when he tried to stop the attack.

The incident caused a such a furor on social media that Walmart eventually announced it was willing to rehire Oswald.

鈥淲e realized his intentions were good, and we鈥檝e contacted him to offer him his job back and welcome him back to the store,鈥� a company spokeswoman said two days later. 鈥淪ometimes we don鈥檛 get everything right, and each circumstance is different.鈥�

In June, elementary school kitchen manager Della Curry was reportedly after she decided to give free lunches to children who didn鈥檛 qualify for reduced lunch benefits.

The school district that was the reason for Ms. Curry鈥檚 dismissal, but that didn鈥檛 stop a nationwide discussion from unfolding about how districts ensure that children aren鈥檛 going hungry in their schools.

All of which showcase, in their own small ways, social media鈥檚 growing ability to shape conversations and spur change.

鈥淭he power of social media is hard to dismiss,鈥� Ritu Sharma, co-founder and executive director of Social Media for Nonprofits, for The Huffington Post.

鈥淲hat once seemed like a trivial way to keep in touch with friends, sharing photos and jokes, has become a force for societal change, shining light on subjects previously unknown, deepening conversations and empowering citizens of the world to unite and effect change in a number of ways,鈥� she added.