Like many other Australians, she found the number of likes disappear from posts on Thursday, as the photo-based platform kicked off an experiment aimed at removing pressure on Instagram users.

Users can see how many likes their own updates receive, but not how many other Instagrammers are notching up.

It's a move that's been welcomed by the Wagga-raised and now Melbourne-based social media manager, influencer, model and musician, who is quick to point out there's a huge difference between the Insta life and reality.

"I think a lot of Instagram has turned into content creation instead of people just being people, being themselves, happy and fun," Miss Martens-Shaw, 24, said.

"People aren't meant to be picture perfect.

"There has been a lot of people just like someone's content by how many likes are on the content, rather than just deciding if they think it's cool or not ... I think it will add some authenticity to the platform for the future."

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Miss Martens-Shaw has just shy of 31,000 followers built over a number of years on her personal account. How she's used it has changed vastly as she's gotten older.

"When I was modelling full time, I definitely think it helped me book some bigger jobs (but) now it's just purely for enjoyment," she said.

"I think that's a really great way of doing it as an individual ... it's a very different audience now than it used to be."

While an advocate of individuals ultimately being responsible for their own happiness, Ms Martens-Shaw has some sage advice for young people taking on the Instaworld.

"Be aware of how different things make you feel and trust your instincts," she said.

"Don't let anyone dull your spark because that's the most important thing. The most valuable asset is what's inside you, not what you put out to the world."

"Obviously we won't really know until it's been up for a while what the long-term and lasting impact of the change will be (but) for now I think it's a really good move."