In mainland China fifty or sixty years ago, if someone was labeled with a hat, no matter where they appeared, they would be looked at strangely by others and even subjected to personal attacks. The "hat" was given a certain meaning.
This morning on the bus, when the card-swiping machine announced "abnormal nucleic acid," everyone's attention quickly focused on the person swiping the card.
In the last century, the government transmitted its will to every aspect of this vast country through grassroots cadres. Nowadays, with the use of technology and data, the government can easily implement the national will, even more thoroughly than ever before.
Every era has its own unique form of "public execution".