( CNN ) -- Recently , a puzzling website appeared that seemed to be from the Shell Oil Company . Using Shell 's logo and its website 's design , the page contained information about Shell 's oil drilling activities in the Arctic . It included a function where viewers could caption pictures said to be taken by Shell Oil in the north ( a dangerous feature for Shell -- just imagine the captions people would generate under a picture of a baby Arctic fox on an oil company website ) . Soon after , a video appeared on YouTube that seemed to show an event sponsored by Shell that went badly awry . A small fountain , in the shape of an oil rig , starts spraying guests and some of the pseudo-environmental decorations of the Alaskan frontier with simulated oil . Finally , in the video , what seemed to be a poorly designed media response by Shell Oil made everything worse . As you may have guessed ( if you have not already heard ) , the entire thing -- website , video and even Shell 's response -- was a hoax created by Greenpeace and the Yes Men , a group of online activists that targets corporations . Shell has wisely decided to remain low-key about the whole thing , issuing a press release that clarifies its lack of involvement but otherwise just hoping the whole concocted ensemble would go away . Is Greenpeace 's prank on Shell oil a 'scam ' ? Welcome to the golden age of culture jamming . Coined in 1984 , culture jamming is a tactic of subverting the media as a form of protest . But the advent of social media has taken it to a whole new level . In the old days , culture jamming might mean defacing a billboard , handing out forged fliers , or staging a false corporate or political event and hoping the media would cover it as if it was real . But today , a fake video or website can quickly go viral and be spread through tens of thousands of shares , tweets , repostings and imitations . It is almost impossible to put that genie back in the bottle . Social media is emerging as a powerful tool , and neither law nor social consensus has yet caught up with it . On the one hand , it allows a remarkable amount of influence to be wielded by those who traditionally had little . Social media ends the communication dominance of the big players like the mass media and large corporations ; it is the great equalizer . From the privacy of one 's computer , virtually the entire world can be one 's audience . On the other hand , because it is both relatively cheap and can be so potent , social media is ripe for abuse , whether through scams , gossip , or misrepresentations . As a medium of protest , the tool is a mixed blessing . Certainly , social media provides some balance in the information battle with corporations who have multimillion-dollar public relations and advertising programs . But the line between legitimate protest through culture jamming and libelous misrepresentation or trademark infringement is muddy . While the legal issues may be contentious , the ethical boundaries seem clearer . Opinion : Why we should look to the Arctic . Many sympathize with the intent of the Greenpeace-Yes Men protest . Yet , as much as one might disagree with a particular corporate action , the honest choice demands either engaging in civil protest and accepting the consequences , or staging a symbolic protest ( such as culture jamming , parody , or satire ) that is clearly identifiable as an act of protest . The Shell Oil hoax did not announce itself as a parody ( though a discerning viewer could detect it ) , and so neglects the second standard . Satire or parody should be obvious -- maybe not immediately , but soon -- or it is in danger of becoming little more than misrepresentation . Sometimes misrepresentation is the clear intent of the protester . There is a place in a democratic society for such acts ; civil disobedience and other mildly illegal protests have a long history in the United States . But one must cross legal boundaries , even in protest , with a willingness to accept the consequences . If the Shell Oil hoax is determined by a court to violate a law ( such as trademark infringement ) , Greenpeace and the Yes Men should man up , accept the verdict and pay the appropriate penalty . I doubt that such a verdict will impede people from using social media as a medium of protest . But if tactics like the Shell Oil hoax become accepted and common , they can easily backfire ; opponents could just as easily use the same strategy against an organization like Greenpeace . A culture jamming war would do no one any good . The information overload online is already overwhelming and confusing enough . We do n't need a situation where we have to question the validity of every website and video we click on . Let 's keep it clean , everyone -- tell us who you are , and then take your best shot . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul Root Wolpe .
Greenpeace , Yes Men stage hoax about Shell Oil company using fake website and video . Score: 6 Welcome to the Golden Age of culture jamming . He says line between legitimate protest and misrepresentation is ethically questionable . Wolpe : A culture jamming war online would do no one any good .