Public law academic Prof Andrew Geddis, who sometimes hits the headlines for tweets on controversial issues, confirmed yesterday he had deleted his Twitter account.
He decided to quit once he realised he was "chasing the thrill of likes and retweets", he said.
The news comes shortly after he received a Critic and Conscience of Society award from the Gama Foundation, a charitable trust established by philanthropists Marilyn and Grant Nelson.
Prof Geddis said it was definitely his decision, and he made the choice to give up after he found himself trawling the web "actively looking for something to tweet on".
"I stopped and asked myself `Why am I doing this - what's the point?"'
The university had never sought to control or restrict what he said publicly on Twitter or any other platform, Prof Geddis said.
"Indeed, it couldn't have done so with my Twitter account, as I deliberately set it up without reference to my institutional affiliation so as to fall outside the [university's] social media policy."
Prof Geddis said he had taken on more administrative responsibility this year, and would be prioritising that.
"I'll still comment where and when I can, obviously."