It’s just a confusion between two different valid definitions of the word public, not some indication of the state of the culture. Public/private can refer to

It’s just a confusion between two different valid definitions of the word public, not some indication of the state of the culture. Public/private can refer to government vs commercial, or it can refer to “out in the open for all to see” vs “the privacy of your own home.” “Public space” is a common phrase that uses the latter definition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_space