--- title: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Shares Her Social Media Lessons description: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wasn't shy about sharing her social media opinions with Stephen Colbert. canonical: https://time.com/5509391/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stephen-colbert-social-media/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-22T15:47:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:20:35.553Z og:title: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Social Media With Stephen Colbert og:description: "Don't post a meme if you don't know what a meme is" og:url: https://time.com/5509391/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stephen-colbert-social-media/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7cafcdec6b1465d/698943ba22fb85430fe27a0e/screen-shot-2019-01-22-at-10.36.05-am.png?branch=production&width=1147&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1147 og:image:height: 645 og:image:alt: Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-Stephen-Colbert-Social-Media og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Social Media With Stephen Colbert twitter:description: "Don't post a meme if you don't know what a meme is" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7cafcdec6b1465d/698943ba22fb85430fe27a0e/screen-shot-2019-01-22-at-10.36.05-am.png?branch=production&width=1147&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Don't Post a Meme if You Don't Know What a Meme Is.' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Schools Stephen Colbert on Her Social Media Strategy > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d0a3060c-ac8d-47c3-a990-409f835de35d&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Suggested a 70% Tax Rate on the Rich. Here’s How It Would Work [Watch (HLS stream): Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Suggested a 70% Tax Rate on the Rich. Here’s How It Would Work](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/V3PBH5Qs.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2019-01-07. MONEY_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 22, 2019 3:47 PM UTC MONEY  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 22, 2019 3:47 PM UTC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](http://time.com/5508629/aaron-sorkin-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/) recently made headlines for a learning session on social media. After dipping into some pints of AmeriCone Dream ice cream — a Ben & Jerry’s flavor inspired by [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/5500336/kamala-harris-presidential-run-stephen-colbert/) — during a Monday appearance on _The Late Show_, Ocasio-Cortez schooled Colbert on the best ways to use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as effective platforms. “I gave them more of my general theory and approach to social media,” Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest Congresswoman in history, told the late-night host of teaching her fellow Democratic House members how to act online. “So I said, rule No.1 is to be authentic, to be yourself and don’t try to be anyone that you’re not. So don’t try to talk like a young kid if you’re not a young kid, don’t post a meme if you don’t know what a meme is. That was literally my advice. And I said don’t talk like the Founding fathers on Twitter.” Watch the full clip below. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:05] There's an element where, yeah, people are going to [00:07] have to start paying their fair share in taxes. [ MUSIC ] [00:09] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5509391/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stephen-colbert-social-media/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5509391/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stephen-colbert-social-media/"},"headline":"'Don't Post a Meme if You Don't Know What a Meme Is.' 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