I agree with Dane, pick up a used DSLR camera from the last 5-10 years and just start shooting with it. I wouldn't recommend getting a film camera off the bat, not knowing what you have until you have the film processed sucks and then you will see that you missed focus or, chopped off a foot, head, or were way off on your exposure. A DSLR will get you going and you'll learn how to shoot fairly quickly.
I also agree with Dane on the downfalls of the digital age with disk failures, lack of storage, etc. I don't worry about it any more, I have a nice array setup that affords me the ability to have a drive die and not lose any data. That said, I also have everything on my desktop and mirror my images to the array which gives more insurance against a failure. The only reason I use externally hosted storage, like Facebook or Flickr is for easy access when I am not home and to share them with others, like my build thread on here or posting a few shots from an event.
Though on the other hand, I do not agree with Dane on the sterile and perfect thought about digital. That still comes down to you knowing how to use the camera. Yes, there is something about an image that is shot on film and the grain that comes from a certain type of film or the natural contrast or vibrancy that a certain film has. That with today's editing software comes down to the editing that you do and, your style. In the end, that is a personal preference and feel that you get from different media.
Prints are prints. Nothing will beat holding the image in your hands, rather it's on canvas, paper or metal. A print also provides a much larger wow factor when you give it to someone. A photo book, takes that to the next level. For example, you take pictures of your kid or, a kid in your family, your friends kid. If you have enough good images to make even a small book, that becomes something that gets put on a coffee table and shared with many more people than just a print would.
On the other side of things, I think using phones as cameras is a terrible idea. Much like taking videos of a concert or fireworks with them. Are you really ever going to go back and look at those? I get why its done, its a quick and easy thing to do and sometimes, the best camera you have is the phone. Then you have to deal with the whole hosted storage thing again and the fact you need to either transfer them to a computer or your new phone. Even a cheap point and shoot is a far better choice of a camera than a phone. Regardless of how sensor technology progresses in phones. Oh, lets not forget that EVERYONE forgets to wipe their greasy finger smudges off the lens on their phone!
A little history on my camera life (as it pertains to DSLRs, I had a few point and shoots prior to the DSLRs). I started with a Nikon D50 that I bought used from a friend (at that point it was probably 5 years old), who bought it used from another friend. I used that thing for a few years then, progressed to a used Nikon D7000 (which was just replaced with the D7100 at the time so it was a few years old) that I got used from B&H then just this spring, bought my first new camera which is a Nikon D500.
I guess what it comes down to is, stop talking about getting a camera, go to the store, find something that is in your price range rather it be new or used, that is comfortable in your hands and buy it. I wouldn't just go out and buy one with out at least holding a few different ones in your hands. I shot a handful of Nikons and Canons before finding that the Nikons felt better in my hands.
