Are gift cards lazy and tacky?

They are not, and recipients for gift cards always appreciate them 

Lazy?  Definitely.  But now a days, not exactly tacky.

I don’t particularly like them. For close family and close friends you should know what to buy that they will like.

I can ship from Amazon for free.  So I tend to buy an actual gift. 

For wedding I give cash. 

It depends on the context, on whether the situation calls for something more personal. If the boss gives each employee a $20 gift card, there's nothing lazy or tacky about it. There is no expectation of individually chosen gifts. 

But in a more personal context like a birthday gift to a family member or dear friend, it can be disappointing that the giver couldn't be bothered to select something personal, to choose something the giver has reason to believe would be pleasing to the recipient. As the saying goes, "It's the thought that counts." And generally little to no thought goes into selecting a gift card. 

But it's true that sometimes what the recipient will most appreciate is cash. What to do? Give cash (gift card) but along with the cash give something personal. It needn't be anything fancy or striking or costly, merely personal. Something like a book mark, a cotton bandana, an inexpensive gadget, candy, a magazine is a good gift if it's chosen with the recipient's tastes in mind like a book mark with a graphic of the recipient's favorite bird, a bandana in his/her favorite color, his/her favorite candy. Adding that $3 personal trinket to the $100 gift card makes it personal, give the recipient something to remember one by.