Instagram app began the trial, which will remove the total number of ‘likes’. Testing began in Canada in May, and has now expanded the update to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Italy and Brazil. The move is an attempt to stop users seeing the platform as something of a popularity competition, with Mia Garlick, Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy saying in a statement, “We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love.”

Studies suggest this kind of instant feedback on content can improve people’s self-esteem but bring others down if they do not get as many likes.