The social media giant last week stopped the like count showing up on each post to stop users obsessively measuring their worth by their numbers.

'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,' it said.

'We are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to address issues around wellbeing and to ensure the Instagram community has a positive experience on our platform.'

However, marketing experts claim this is a 'bulls**t' excuse to get businesses spending ad dollars by making it easier for them to compete with influencers.

'Let's stop the bulls**t that this recent change is about reducing the incidence of mental health among their users,' Murmur boss Dave Levett said.

'It's about raising ad revenue for the platform, and make Instagram more appealing for small businesses and brands to pump dollars into the growing social behemoth.'

Mr Levett said influencers were making millions selling everything from cosmetics to protein shakes, but Instagram saw none of the revenue.