What looked like a simple viral giveaway video has now turned into a broader debate about how social media content is made. Master Sanker, a TikTok creator with more than 19 million followers, has acknowledged that some of his videos were planned, even as he rejected claims that the iPhone clip filmed at Ho Guom was manipulated.
The controversy began after a video circulating on social media showed Master Sanker handing an iPhone to a young woman in Vietnam. Once the camera angle changed, the woman was seen returning the phone to another man and receiving payment for taking part in the shoot, which quickly led viewers to question whether the moment had been staged.
Why the clip raised doubts
The reaction was not only about whether one scene was scripted. Many viewers focused on the way the giveaway was presented as a spontaneous act, while the footage suggested there had been coordination behind the scenes.
That perception became central to the criticism. For a large part of the audience, the issue was not simply the presence of payment, but the impression that the video was designed to feel natural while still being arranged.
Master Sanker’s explanation
In a post on his personal Instagram account, which has more than 19.4 million followers, Master Sanker said the woman in the Vietnam video was not a victim of a setup. He said she contacted him first to join the shoot and was paid 100,000 VND.
He also said viewers who want verification should ask the woman directly. According to him, the team filmed around 10 different people in the same area during the shoot in Vietnam and kept inviting others to join after participants had already agreed.
Master Sanker insisted that the participants were paid to appear in the content. “We paid them to participate in the video. No one was exploited; everyone received money,” he said.
Backlash and wider criticism
After the clip spread widely, many social media users said they felt disappointed and unfollowed his account. They argued that content which appears natural can still feel misleading when viewers later learn that it was arranged.
Others took a more forgiving view and noted that videos involving gifts or cash distribution in public spaces are not new on social media. Even so, the Ho Guom clip kept drawing attention because it struck at the trust viewers place in the format itself.
The discussion also widened beyond the iPhone video. Some observers said the real concern was how such content builds an image of spontaneity, even when cooperation from participants is part of the process.
His broader response to the criticism
Master Sanker responded by saying people were focusing too narrowly on the iPhone clip and ignoring other charitable work he has done during live streams in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Laos. He said he had previously bought food, drinks, and clothing for people and shared those moments online.
He also warned viewers not to believe everything they see on social media. “I only want to say, live properly. Don’t blindly believe everything you see on social media,” he said, adding that many videos are made to attract attention and do not fully reflect reality.
Before the latest clarification, he had already addressed questions from another social media account on May 20 about whether his videos were genuine. At that time, he said most of the helpful actions in his content were real, but admitted that some clips had been planned.
The creator behind the account is Israeli-born Eidan Sanker, born in 1995. He currently has 19.4 million followers on Instagram, 9.1 million subscribers on YouTube, and 9.2 million followers on TikTok, with income coming mainly from advertising, social media content, and his own product business.
