but it might be time to start paying attention

The app company plans to hit public markets in 2017, with a reported valuation of 25 billion dollars

That would make it the biggest IPO star since Alibaba in 2014

Don't be embarrassed if you don't know Snapchat

One of the biggest differences with Facebook and Twitter is that a snap will disappear after at most 24 hours

The app lets you take photos or short videos with your phone

You can doodle, annotate, add filters

So how is this app so valuable?

Well, it has 235 million users amount

More than half of those use it daily

Despite being a relatively young company, it ranks just behind Instagram and Twitter

And the youngs love it

70% of 18 to 24-year-old smartphone owners use the app

Its popularity is even growing among the older, 30+ crowd

The company makes its money from video ads and branded filters that are interspersed throughout the app

And thanks to Snapchat's young and coveted millennial user base

advertisers are willing to pay top dollar to get their promos in front of youthful eyes

That's triggered big expectations

With revenue estimated to reach 1.7 billion dollars in 2018

Still, Snapchat isn't cheap

Its reported 25 billion dollar valuation is 25 times its expected 1 billion revenue next year

Compare that to Facebook, which went public in 2012, it had a valuation of 19 times its forward revenue

And even that valuation was considered outrageous at the time

Snapchat is hoping that its popularity isn't as fleeting as the life of one of its messages

Whether it deserves a huge valuation depends on how long users keep snapping