If you don't get anything out of the current SF magazines, of course you shouldn't feel obliged to support them.
The problem is that short fiction is becoming less and less supported, while at the same time, there is still a large number of people trying to get their short stories bought and published. Furthermore, when you say, "The downside is I miss finding things I might like. But I am prepared to take that risk and rely on trusted sources (friends or critics) who have made recommendations in the past that I enjoy," you also need to acknowledge the risk that the magazines will fold, and then there won't even be the opportunity to read stories recommended by friends.
It is entirely possible that we are moving in a direction where short fiction will disappear entirely from print magazines and appear solely on the Internet, with editors putting together zines as a labor of love. But I suspect if that happens, then the quality of the fiction will go down. After all, one of the reasons SCI FICTION was so acclaimed was that they published high quality stories -- and the main reason they were able to do so was because they paid more money than any other market.
Re: Waiting for the new publishing model
The problem is that short fiction is becoming less and less supported, while at the same time, there is still a large number of people trying to get their short stories bought and published. Furthermore, when you say, "The downside is I miss finding things I might like. But I am prepared to take that risk and rely on trusted sources (friends or critics) who have made recommendations in the past that I enjoy," you also need to acknowledge the risk that the magazines will fold, and then there won't even be the opportunity to read stories recommended by friends.
It is entirely possible that we are moving in a direction where short fiction will disappear entirely from print magazines and appear solely on the Internet, with editors putting together zines as a labor of love. But I suspect if that happens, then the quality of the fiction will go down. After all, one of the reasons SCI FICTION was so acclaimed was that they published high quality stories -- and the main reason they were able to do so was because they paid more money than any other market.