Snapchat appears to be the social-media app of choice for millennials.

College students turn first to the ephemeral-messaging app before Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, according to data released Thursday by LendEdu, an online marketplace for student loan refinancing. Fifty-eight percent of college students said they open Snapchat first, compared with 27 percent who chose Instagram, 13 percent who said Facebook and the 2 percent who opt for LinkedIn.

That's especially impressive considering Snapchat has 158 million daily users, compared with Facebook's 1.8 billion.

"Checking Snapchat has become a ritualistic occurrence for most millennials, a demographic coveted by nearly every single company in existence today," LendEdu said in a statement.

The data is welcome news for Snap, the company behind the popular mobile app, known for its self-detonating photos and videos. The company went public earlier this month, gaining 44 percent its first day. But its stock price has been in steady decline since then, losing more than 26 percent in the two weeks after its IPO.

The Los Angeles company has already built up its fair share of lore as it emerges as one of the tech industry's newest power players. It has already stared down Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly balking at his $3 billion takeover offer in 2013.

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