Trendwatch Media & Culture: June 8, 2020

The Information: Snap Plans Expanded Developer Platform That Echoes WeChat

Snap is planning to let other companies build pared-down versions of their mobile apps within Snapchat    

Axios: Video Game Concerts Are a Hit

With concerts and music festivals cancelled across the country, artists are flocking to virtual gaming platforms like Minecraft and Fortnite to give fans the next best thing to a live music experience.      

New York Times: The New Model Media Star Is Famous Only to You 

With short videos and paid newsletters, everyone from superstars to half-forgotten former athletes and even journalists can, as one tech figure put it, “monetize individuality.”      

New York Times: Instagram Wants Its Influencers to Make More Money

The platform announced updates aimed at helping creators monetize their audience.    

Ars Technica: How Sega Hopes to Use Japanese Arcades as Streaming Data Centers

Idle Arcade Hardware + cloud gaming infrastructure = a new “fog gaming” business?