Traditionally, discussing sex in Malayali households was taboo. However, the of the digital-native Malayali is changing. Kambikatha has moved from the dusty drawers of college hostels to the nightstands of married couples.

With the advent of dial-up internet and later, cheap smartphones, the medium exploded. Websites with names evoking secrecy became the late-night haunts of the Malayali male (and, increasingly, female). The genre evolved from poorly typed, spelling-error-ridden texts to sophisticated, character-driven novellas.