Social media data (SMD) is a new data source in disaster research, which can be used in hazard identification, disaster analysis, risk assessment and emergency rescue. This data-driven disaster research needs to find an appropriate method considering the aspect of data sensitivity. So far, the research in this area is focused on the types of hazard, but rarely considers the relationship between the technical methods and applicable tasks. By emphasizing data and method dependencies, we have attempted to summarize the characteristics of SMD in disaster research, viz., “sociality, rapidity, subjectivity, and un-authenticity”, and explore the processing methods in the applications of disaster management. Our work provides ideas and reference to the researchers working in this area from the perspectives of data and research goals.