By over-communicating, are we really saying anything?

LOS ANGELES - Technology allows for so many ways to communicate and exchange messages across the world, but with 205 billion emails sent each day -- are we really saying anything?

White-collar workers spend 4.1 hours a day and over 1,000 hours a year checking their work emails. Aside from embarrassingly sending some to the wrong people, and getting an occasional cat video from a co-worker, are there any you actually remember?

Emails often lead to more emails, and staying on top of them can be a losing battle. Some research suggests that we are over-communicating, and the 30 seconds it takes to read each email is costing your company money when added up over time.

Not only is this data nonstop, but it is also less personal. Even with the help of emoticons, texts can’t convey our emotions correctly. And if emails are immediate, then texts are hyper-immediate. Americans spend about 26 minutes a day texting. According to a Pew Institute survey, text messages in the U.S. jumped from 14 billion in 2000 to 188 billion in 2010, and young Americans send approximately 88 text messages per day.

Email, texts, and social media as our preferred communication accounts for the continued decrease of personal letters. According to a 2012 U.S. Postal Service survey, people received a personal letter once every seven weeks as opposed to once every 2 weeks in 1987.

With so much being said, it is a wonder if we have the time to listen. The hyper-communication of today is only going to increase, but if you want to stand out from time to time -- grab a paper and pen and click on the video for a tried and true method that becomes more rare by the day.