Instagram is running a trial in Australia that hides like numbers from posts to focus more on creativity rather than popularity.

"It's a really good thing; it's better for consumers, particularly around mental health," the Launceston businessman said.

"It takes away that vanity metric and takes away that popularity contest."

Mr Marton said, aside from the mental health pros of the trial, the initiative helped remove the notion that like numbers equated to financial success for Instagram influencers.

"This is a massive industry where people are paid quite large amounts just to make a single post and that sort of shows an endorsement of a product," Mr Marton said.

"Influencers bank on the fact that their popularity gets more likes and often the more likes they get the more they can sell.

"For us, and what I think Facebook [owners of Instagram] are really focussing on, is making sure that influencers use good business metrics rather than say 'we'll bring you all this business on Instagram based on how many likes we get'".

Mr Marton added little had changed from a marketer's point of view in terms of assessing how profitable an Instagram page might be for advertising a brand.

"We can still measure everything in the background and nothing really changes for us," he said.

"It's only really on the consumer's end of what they will and won't be able to see.

"We'll be able to still tell whether a post and the content is really popular or not, but what Facebook want to make sure of is when you do post and make it part of your advertising strategy, they look and see whether or not it's turning into a return on investment."

The removal of likes as a measure of success will result in a more encouraging environment for those aspiring to monetise their Instagram activity.

"You've got all of your top influencers getting a massive amount of likes, like Beyonce and Taylor Swift; they are such popular brands that they don't need ads," he said.

"If the environment in which everyone else has to step up against all these challenges is so ridiculously separated ... then why would anyone have a go?

"I actually think it evens the playing field for up-and-comers against those who hold potentially too much influence."

Another added benefit of the trial is the removal of the follower mentality for Instagram users who like things because they're popular.

"This trial challenges the human brain to make a decision based on whether the person likes something or not, rather than if others like it or not."

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