They started off with Canada a few weeks ago, where now Instagram users cannot see how many likes a post has gotten - only the owner of the post can. 

Instagram says that this is to make the platform a “less pressured environment”, what do they mean?
 
If you’re having a hard time remembering old Instagram, let us give you a recap. Instagram was a digital album where you could post pictures you like or have taken yourself for your friends and family to see. However today, Instagram is a multibillion-dollar industry driven by ads and influencers.
 
In January of this year, there was a Likes War between an egg - seriously, just a plain egg - and model Kylie Jenner. The egg broke the internet, as well as the record for the post with most likes. The Likes War caused a huge stir and people lost it (why? we don’t really know).
 
"We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get," an Instagram spokesperson said.

Instagram culture today is as dystopian as it could get, it is a world where you only matter if you get likes. There have been several studies conducted on its negative effect on

mental health, and the people at the gram are aware of this and are now trying to fight it.
 
People feel so pressured to get likes that they take down pictures that haven’t gotten enough likes, deeming them unworthy of being posted.
 
With this new feature, no one can see how many likes you’ve gotten. And while only you can see the real number, does it really matter anymore? We’re sure that some people will start snapping likes results and posting them as individual posts or stories, but that will only prove how dissatisfied they are with themselves and rely on likes to feel good.
 
But if you got on Instagram to just share and look at good pictures, then embrace the Zen and just look for good pictures, because likes don’t mean a thing.