"Digital storytelling" is an approach to tell individual and community stories with digital technology. It emerged in the 1990s and now has spread around the world, under the promotion of the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS), a nonprofit based in Berkeley, California. This paper attempts to construct a theoretical framework for this facilitative visual production. It first gives a brief introduction of the state of the art in Digital Storytelling, its diverse application, and their empowerment potentials. Then the paper proposes to integrate different theoretical traditions in visual studies in order to formulate a conceptual and theoretical framework that could be used to better comprehend the social dynamics surrounding visual storytelling, facilitation, participation and empowerment. Theories and concepts in the anthropology of visual communication, narrative research, and participatory and alternative media practices are critically reviewed and integrated. It also argues for the use of Digital Storytelling techniques for action-oriented research, and discusses possible the ethic implications.