Trolls are near-omnipresent across social media platforms and forums, purposefully seeking to derail how people and brands communicate online. Yet while these interactions are usually seen as malicious, how can brands use trolling tactics to create a unique voice and win over the public?

The 2016 elections in the US and UK may be making headlines, but democracy's messy embrace now stretches far beyond politics, with social media offering people a say on almost anything. How can brands make the most of the consumer vote without ending up with egg on their faces?

Misanthropic comments made online may now face an ironic twist. An involuntary online charity initiative – named ‘Donate the Hate’ – makes donations to refugee projects in Germany for every hateful comment shared, fighting xenophobia without resorting to censorship.

With the launch of its Web Annotator tool, Genius is now giving people the opportunity to comment on every webpage in existence. It boasts the potential to change the way we read the news on the internet, but could it also expose digital creators to anonymous trolls and bullies?